Leather and Lace
by Ava Miranda Dakedavra
Summary: Finding himself 20 years in the future, as well as the last of the Marauders and an apparent criminal has left Sirius shaken. Throw in a blood spell, an impending sickness and maneuvering life with Harry, Ron and Hermione and you've got Sirius Black making the best of things in the be all end all of bad situations.
1. Dreamers

**Hello all! I'm back with another Sirius/Hermione fic! Fair warning, this could or could not turn into an M rating, as I haven't decided yet. Thanks for clicking! If you're here from Howl, then welcome back! I've missed you guys! Your reviews are so sweet and I love each of them dearly. If you're from Howl, you'll also know that I like to try to include song lyrics at the beginning of every chapter. (It's a five year tradition that I'm keen to uphold lol) If you're not from Howl but you enjoy how I write the Sirimione ship, then please feel free to check it out! (Or not, your choice.)**

 _"_ _There's this feeling we're all so much more than we seem/_ _They can box us up in walls but that don't change anything/_ _There's a sun on the rise painting all the sky blue/_ _Where the morning meets the night and every color breaks through..."_ Oh Gravity, _"Dreamers"_

* * *

There was a tiny convenience store in the small town, where people could buy snacks or drinks on their way for a road trip, or a quick place to grab condoms or something. That was what basically all convenience stores were, underneath the grime and the flickering fluorescents, and it was a purely Muggle idea and Sirius Black adored them, even if he had a pounding headache and stiff muscles.

He'd woke up in the middle of the woods, suffering through a headache and wondering how the hell he'd gotten there. Once he got a better grasp of his consciousness, he was pleased to note that his clothes were at least his, and he had muggle money in its pockets but no wand. Bugger. So he'd trekked to the nearest muggle town and now he was purchasing a pack of gum as he squinted at the kid ringing him up.

"Rough night, I take it?" He asked, sympathetically.

Sirius ran a hand through his hair and grunted before cracking a grin, "You can say that. Whassa date?"

"August fifth," he laughed, passing him back his change and the pack of gum over.

" _Jesus,_ " Sirius cursed, because the last solid thought he had at the moment was that it'd been eighteenth of June. Why he had that particular date set in mind, he wasn't sure. He thanked the kid, and set out onto the sunlight with a grimace.

First things first was to find where he'd lost his bloody wand. That would have to wait until the recollection of the night would come to him, which he decided he'd rather wait in his apartment than wandering down the streets.

Apparating without a wand was easy enough, and he tapped his hand against the door to open it, as Moony had keyed it to his magical signature so he wouldn't keep losing the physical keys in oddball places.

Upon opening the door, he made about three feet into his living room before realizing that it wasn't his living room at all. He'd certainly never had an end table with doilies or fine china, and he damn sure never had a couch. Guests sat upon milk crates so they would never overstay their welcome. But the door _had_ opened for him…

He stepped back out into the hallway and tried to get a grip on his breathing. Okay, maybe it was time to call on the Calvary. Thinking hard, he popped himself over to Godric's Hollow, only to look on in horror at the site before him.

A statue of James and Lily and baby Harry where their house had once stood proud, centered in debris and rubbish.

He didn't spare a glance at the statue description, instead tearing through the streets towards the cemetery.

" _You want to what?"_ Sirius had asked with a laugh.

" _Bury me at Godric's Hollow, Pads!"_ James insisted. " _Lily and I. That's where our family started, that's where our family's going to rest."_

" _Numpty, you just had a baby, don't be so dramatic,"_ he scoffed, shifting the tiny tot in his lap as he played with one of Sirius's leather cuffs, gumming it like a teething ring. His only answer was James's laugh.

He made it to the cemetery, vaulting over the locked gate, and took care to look gingerly around. After a few rows of inspection, he finally saw what made him fall to his knees.

 _James Ignatius Potter_

 _March 27, 1960 - October 31, 1981_

 _Lily Jane Evans Potter_

 _January 30, 1960 - October 31, 1981_

It didn't make a lick of sense. It had been June eighteenth 1980 exactly twenty four hours ago, and now it was apparently long past 1981 and two of his best friends were dead. He wondered about Peter and Remus. He wondered about Emmeline. He wondered about the War.

He moved himself into the Ministry, hoping to find some answers there. Nobody was flashing Dark Marks or leading a group of Muggleborns to their deaths, so he was hopeful. The Ministry was practically glowing in the sunlight, and there was a new statue of three figures battling what appeared to be a snake-human hybrid in the center. He stared at the three, and thought that one of them had a similar likeness to James, but he was determined to not burst into tears standing there.

"Hi there, I'm afraid I've lost my wand," he told the witch at the first desk he was pointed to.

"Of course, your name?" She questioned.

He opened his mouth to answer, gaze resting upon an old wanted poster behind her, finding his own name emblazoned upon it to his horror. The man in that picture had matted hair, sunken eyes, and a crooked disposition. "Ahh - Archibald Brown." It'd been the name on his fake ID when he and the others would wander into Muggle London, of age in the wizarding world but just a year short in the muggle one.

"Hmm," she said after a moment of searching, "I can't seem to find your file. Did you make a new one after the war?"

"Err - no ma'am, I didn't," he said.

She huffed and handed him a stack of papers. "Fill those out. You _really_ should have done this years ago, you know."

"Of course, of course," he squinted at them. He desperately needed to know what year it was. "Mind if I fill these out at home? A friend's going to come and pick me up and help me go hunting for it."

"Of course, no rush, but _do_ get those in," she insisted. He nodded and thank her for her time, and moved over into the elevator shaft, stepping back out and making his way through Muggle London.

He was a...fugitive? Lily and James had died, and somehow he'd continued on as a wanted criminal? The picture had barely looked like him, but it had definitely looked like someone he was related to, and he couldn't see any of them just borrowing his name, he was a blood traitor after all. Nevertheless that he was in his early twenties, with no idea how he'd skipped over some amount of time - he _desperately_ needed to learn the year.

He popped into his dog form, wandering along the sidewalks and trying to make sense of everything, because something was certainly not right. Something had gotten all fucked up, and he wasn't sure what it could be or how to fix it.

He didn't realize the sun had begun to set, and he didn't realize he'd been whimpering for over fifty minutes until a pair of crouched legs halted him.

"Are you lost, puppy?" The owner of the legs asked, and he tilted his head to look up at them. She had her hand outstretched, waiting for him to make the first move, and she was obviously looking for some sort of tag or collar to him. Padfoot had never been a hulking form of muscle, so she was looking at him with an air of concern at his gaunt appearance.

He nudged his head into her hand, wanting some form of comfort at this point in time, and kept whimpering even as she scratched behind his ear.

"Poor baby," she muttered, smoothing down his fur. "Did somebody leave you here? Hmm?"

He sat down on the concrete and looked to her left shoe. He was sad, and confused, and he didn't want to be alone. Plus she had excellent ear scratching techniques. He laid his head on her shoe and heaved a big sigh.

"Alright," she sighed as well and patted his side, and he lifted his head as she stood. "Come on then, follow me."

He stared at her for a moment or two. He wasn't sure how to feel about being someone's pet, especially if he was an apparent fugitive. That may not turn out too great.

But she stooped down to lift him up in her arms, grunting under the weight of him before she adjusted her balance and began to carry him.

She deposited him in what he assumed was her living room, and he looked around in surprise as she shut and locked the door behind her.

"It seems I could use the company myself, so I hope you don't mind," she said, sitting in the floor and smoothing down his fur again as he regarded the area around him. "My cat, Crookshanks, died a bit recently, and...well, you remind me of a dog he used to play with. Aren't you a sweet boy? Wonder the kind of people that abandoned you."

He leaned into her, deciding that perhaps one night wouldn't be so bad. Just so he wouldn't be alone.

* * *

 **The first few chapters will be relatively short compared to both what I've written previously as well as what I've got planned.**


	2. I'm Nothing Without You

**"Wait a minute," you might be saying. "Is this Ava Miranda Dakedavra? This _is_ her, right?" Yes, yes it is. "But she updated in a decent amount of time." Yes, you are correct. "No, no, you don't understand," you insist. "She, like, _never_ does that." Oh, well, I don't think - "Like, never," you interjected. "One chapter, she ended with 'see you soon!' And then she didn't update that fic for a year." Pfft, you're exaggerating. "I'm not," you reply solemnly. It's a very serious problem. I entirely agree. But is there really a cure for life, college, writer's block, etc.? "Maybe, I dunno, an actual update schedule?" You raise a brow. I try to avoid eye contact. I really wish I hadn't started the chapter this way, but here we are. I cough into a fist and vow to never do something like this again.**

 _"_ _My breath's been held tonight/_ _You've got me somewhere I don't know/_ _And although I've gone away/_ _That somewhere always feels like home/_ _Can't say I'm better off alone..._ _" - Dylan Gardner, "I'm Nothing Without You"_

* * *

Sirius realized, in the short few weeks that he'd been living with the woman, that the year was 1999, and he was supremely fucked.

The woman, who hadn't introduced herself to him, read a lot, hummed a lot, and went outside very little. When she would go outside, she would go along with him, which made for escapes to be extremely difficult. Especially when he realized that she was a witch, and the chances of her knowing what an Animagus was were extremely high.

He wondered how bad being a house pet would be, compared to being a wanted criminal without any money, and when placed in that comparison it didn't seem all that bad.

After several weeks of it just being them in the house, Sirius was startled awake from his spot under the coffee table when he heard the Floo roar to life, and a figure emerged from it and moved slowly into the kitchen where the woman had been making tea.

"Oh, I didn't realize you'd be back so soon," he heard her say, calm and relaxed before he heard a man chuckle.

"I did my paperwork a bit sooner," he said, and she made a pleased hum before they both sat at the tiny kitchen table, each with a mug of tea. "How've you been?"

"Busy," she answered before she heaved a deep sigh, "Well, I've been reading. Not much to do once you've quit your boring Ministry job. Other than that and adopting a stray, not much else."

"A stray? Another cat?" he asked, the chair creaking as he twisted in it.

"Actually, I got a dog," she said with a smile in her tone, "Haven't thought of a name for him yet, if you've got a suggestion then please feel free."

"Screw the conversation invading your personal life, where's the dog?" The man asked excitedly, and she laughed before they eventually moved to the living room and the man laid down in the floor to look at him.

He looked like James, Sirius realized with a start, but with green eyes and round glasses and a funny looking scar on his forehead. This could only be Harry.

"He's a bit shy, I've found," the woman told Harry, arms crossed but relaxed.

Sirius belly crawled slowly to Harry. He couldn't believe his luck. Out of all the women he could've been adopted by, he got the one that knew Harry. His only link to James and Lily, his old life.

"He looks like Sirius!" He exclaimed with a laugh, sitting back on his heels as Sirius slowly inspected him, tail beginning to wag.

She laughed as well, sitting in the floor with them and smoothing her hand over Sirius's back. "He does. It's why I stopped when I saw him. And, since Crookshanks died, I thought it'd be nice...familiar, I guess."

"Crookshanks died?" Harry asked abruptly. "Oh, Hermione, I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

She shrugged, not meeting his eye and still focusing on Sirius. "Well. It's not like I told Ron."

Harry sighed, scooting over to her so their knees were touching. "Yeah. Wanna talk about that?"

"Not really," Hermione insisted. "It was mutual. You know. I'm sure he told you. By the way, unfair that only Aurors can get in touch with other Aurors when they're on missions. I needed some sympathetic words when I found my cat had died."

He wrapped an arm around her and brought her close, so she could rest her head on his shoulder as she tried to control her sniffles. Sirius set his head on her knee and watched, letting her scratch behind his ear again.

"Right," Harry nodded, petting her own hair, "Well, I'm terribly sorry to hear Crookshanks has died. I loved that cat as much as I would love my own cat, and I'm sure that Crookshanks will be...err...for the better? Wait, uhm…"

She began to laugh, "Were you trying to use my cat as a metaphor for my failed relationship with Ron? He would throw a fit - he's always hated Crookshanks."

"Maybe," Harry chuckled as well.

"It is fine, you know," she insisted. "We agreed we're better as friends. I just...never realized how alone I'd be."

"You've got me," Harry declared. "Give you and Ron some time, and you'll be back to normal."

"I know," she murmured. "It's just...it hurt, because you were gone and I couldn't very well talk to him about it, and then Crooks passed and - "

Harry hugged her fiercely when the floodgates opened, and Sirius moved off of her to let her sob into his chest.

"You aren't alone, okay?" Harry whispered. "I've got you. I've always got you. Promise."

"You can't always be with me, Harry," she hiccuped.

"Yes I damn well can," he insisted, wrapping his legs around her torso and squeezing tight. She chuckled. "I'm your leech now. Never getting rid of me. We'll be old and grey and losing our marbles and I'll still be here."

"Harry - " she laughed.

He made a wet, schlicking noise, much like a leech suctioning onto something, and she squealed and tried to pry herself away from him, to no avail. They were laughing at each other, and Sirius watched on as he tried not to hurt at how much he missed his own friends. He'd come to the realization one night that Peter had, inevitably, betrayed his friends in order to save his own skin. Once he'd tracked down Remus and explained everything to the man, he was going to hunt down the spineless excuse of a wizard and test out just how sharp his canine teeth could be.

"Why haven't you named your dog?" Harry asked after a few moments of quiet, once they were untangled and Sirius had moved to lay by the fire and keep an eye on them.

"Wanted you to meet him, I think," she said, "If you wanted him…"

"Nope," Harry rejected it. "Your dog."

"Well then, help me name him," she insisted.

"I'm rubbish at names, Hermione," he whined. "I named my owl Hedwig."

"Hedwig was a lovely owl," she punched his arm.

"She was a lovely owl despite being named Hedwig!" He said with a wince. Sirius gave a huff of laughter, and watched as Harry couldn't contain his grin. "Name him Snuffles."

"Seems a bit macabre, doesn't it?" she questioned. "Naming him after your dead godfather."

Sirius blinked at them. He was dead? Why was he a wanted, dead man? And how was he alive in the first place? And when had he ever been called Snuffles in his entire life?

"Sirius would think it was hilarious," Harry defended. "He'd be offended if you didn't name his lookalike after him." Too true, Harry.

"What about Brutus?" She asked, humming thoughtfully.

"Padfoot," Harry insisted. Now that was more Sirius's speed.

"Julius," she said.

"Moony!" Harry shouted.

"What's with you and trying to name this dog after our dead loved ones?" She huffed. Even Moony was dead? His last hope of finding a friend. Their conversation only served to depress him.

"They were Marauders, Hermione, they'd love the joke," Harry pointed out.

"I don't see you attempting to name him after your father," she said, arching a brow and crossing her arms over he chest.

"Because he's not a deer, Hermione," Harry said with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh, fuck it, his name will be...William. William the Dog."

"William?! For a dog?" Harry shouted. "That's worse than Hedwig!"

"Well, actually help me name the bloody dog!"

"Fine!" Harry groaned dramatically and careened into her side, smushing her into the floor as she complained that he was crushing her. "What about….Hm. I like Smudge."

Hermione paused, and glanced to Sirius. "Smudge is okay."

"Smudge it is!" Harry cheered, and celebrated by casting even more of his body weight atop of her.

"Harry - " she all but wheezed. "Get the fuck off."

"Such foul language," Harry sniffed. "I don't think I shall."

Hermione managed a kick to his ribs, and he got off. Sirius snorted, settling down by the fire and watching them annoy the fuck out of each other until they laughed so hard they cried. He missed being able to do that with his own friends, but given how morose Hermione had seemed until Harry arrived, he decided that she should enjoy it while it lasted.


	3. Future Me

**I think that, so far, this is my favorite chapter that I've written. It's got a lot of my favorite lines, lol.**

 _"They don't know you like I do/_ _They don't know what you've been through/_ _Their hands are black and blue/_ _For never letting go of you/_ _They don't know you like I do/_ _There's gonna be some pain/_ _It's good to feel something..." - Echosmith, "Future Me"_

* * *

Sirius had known, inevitably, that he'd fuck up horribly.

Hermione had mentioned to him that she would be out all day, and she'd hoped he would be okay by himself in the house, and…well… He'd just wanted to make sure he could shift back after weeks in his dog form, because how pathetic would it be if he'd time-traveled into the future only to get stuck as a dog for the rest of his life? He wanted to stretch and use the stove for a bit. He just hadn't counted on Hermione coming home near noon to check on him.

"I know this looks bad," he said, hands raised as he stared down his nose at the wand pointed at him. "Believe me, I know. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm rather…I'm a bit lost."

"Who are – wait," she screwed up her face at him, lowering the wand by a fraction so that if she chose to blast him apart, she'd tear up his chin rather than his nose. "You… _Sirius?! Sirius Black?!_ "

"Oh, you've heard of me?" he remarked casually before she did the unthinkable and withdrew her wand entirely.

"What the – you – you're supposed to be dead!" she all but shrieked, stomping around the living room and waving her arms at him.

"Yeah, weird," he grinned. "About that – mind explaining that bit? There's some gaps missing."

"You've got some gaps missing?! Imagine my surprise!" she babbled before halting her rampage and staring at him. "You were my dog."

"About that," he grimaced sheepishly.

"You were my _dog!_ " she yelled, taking the couch cushion and lobbing it at him. It wasn't the worst thing a woman had ever thrown at him, yet he still dodged it. "Sirius!"

"Okay, listen!" he hopped out of her warpath. "I woke up with no idea what was going on, I go to Godric's Hollow and – and there's this bloody statue, and James and Lily are in the fucking ground, and I went to the Ministry but apparently I'm a criminal! And Moony's dead too, and Peter's as good as dead to me! What else was I supposed to do!" He didn't realize how distraught he was until he noticed that she'd stopped, and he had tears trickling down his face. "With circumstances like mine, wouldn't you rather be a dog than yourself!?"

"You're right," she agreed, calmly, sighing. "I'm sorry I shouted. This…this is big."

"Sorry I didn't speak up sooner," he admitted as he wiped his face. She didn't remark on his tears. "So…you know me?"

She bit her lip, "Yes…you were older. In your early or mid-forties, if I recall."

He barked a laugh, "Then what the fuck am I doing here?"

She chuckled, "I'd quite like to know, too."

Her Floo roared to life again, and they both went through the same conversation with Harry once he'd stepped out.

"Not that I'm not so glad to see you," Harry insisted, "So glad. But…I'm not sure I understand."

"You and me both, mate," Sirius sighed before quirking his head and grinning at him across the couch. Hermione had ordered them both to sit after she'd replaced the couch cushion and gone on a different sort of rampage throughout the house that looked a lot like Lily when she got pissed enough to want to clean everything, and Sirius couldn't help but be delighted at the fact that he was sitting with his godson, all grown up. "Although, I can't say I'm not thrilled as hell to get to talk to you. Last time I sat with you, you were in diapers."

Harry chuckled, ruffling up his hair just like James used to, "Same here. N-not the diapers, but it's…it's good to see you. You've no idea."

"Yes, yes, we're all chuffed to see each other," Hermione huffed, standing by the Floo and tapping her foot impatiently, throwing irritated glances at the clock on the mantle.

Harry looked at the Floo in irritation for a different reason, "I don't see why you've gone and called him. We hardly need him. Why didn't you call Ron?"

"You want a witch to call her ex and inform him that she's been harboring a dog-man as handsome as myself?" Sirius questioned imperiously. "You got all of James's genes, didn't you?"

Hermione chuckled and shot a grin to Sirius before chiding Harry. "I told you, Harry, if this is some sort of Dark Magic, then he's our best bet at a straight answer before going to the authorities. I'd hate it if they decided to experiment on Sirius or lock him up again."

"I am the authorities," Harry muttered hatefully, but the Floo roared to life again and Sirius immediately scoffed at the sight of what must have been the mini-Malfoy, dressed in Healer trainee garb.

"Granger," he tipped his head to her, white-blonde hair not budging an inch from all of the product in it. "Potter," he appraised Harry silently before his gaze slid over to Sirius, pale eyebrows shooting up his equally pale face. "Merlin's _nutsack._ "

"Is that what we're calling dashingly handsome men nowadays?" he remarked with a sly grin. "If so – sorry, blondie, I'm the part of the family that doesn't go for cousins." He turned thoughtful. "Cousin's sons? Ahh, I'll just say I want out of the family tree."

"What is he doing here?!" the Mini-Malfoy growled, accusatory gaze swiveling from Hermione to Harry and back again.

"He says he just woke up in a field one day and it was no longer June of 1980," Hermione answered. "He shifted into dog form, and I accidentally adopted him. He somehow found one of his old wanted posters and decided laying low was more in his favor."

"What kind of witch doesn't cast inspection charms on an animal she brings into her home?" the man snarked.

Hermione gave a sweet little smile, and twirled a lock of her hair between her fingers. "Your nose looks _so_ nice, Draco. Though, I do see one _teeny_ bump in the bridge."

His fingers went to his nose, and he scooted a few inches away from her as he glared. Harry snickered, and Sirius had a feeling that it was a story he would absolutely _love_ to hear.

Draco moved to sit on the small footrest placed in front of Sirius, and they went through a series of diagnostic and inspection spells that seemed to last forever and all of them required that Sirius be perfectly still. Once he was done, Draco buried his face in his hands and started scrubbing them around.

"Well?" Harry asked in concern.

"It's prima natus," Draco groaned as he dragged his hands down his face, and all three Gryffindors shared blank stares. "Really? Prima natus? I'm surprised Granger hasn't spouted out dozens of text book definitions, but Sirius should certainly know it."

"Oh, yeah, right, prima notus," Sirius agreed, beginning to nod before grimacing at Draco's deadpan expression. "Uhm…just for the others, what is it?"

"Prima natus is a…" he paused and glanced to Hermione and Harry before continuing, "It's a blood spell cast upon the first born son of each generation, normally among Purebloods. Your family really didn't explain this to you?"

His jaw clicked and his brow furrowed unintentionally at the mention of his family, and he forced a grin to try to mask it. "Mummy and daddy didn't exactly live life by explanations. What's it do?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, and only then did the perfectly blond strands begin to fall down. "Basically, it's a failsafe. Should the noble and most ancient house of Black, in this case, find itself with no patriarch and no heir to continue it, magic will essentially dig up the last prima natus and resurrect him to carry on the line as if nothing were ever amiss."

Sirius's blood ran cold, and he found himself gripping his knees, struggling to keep his composure. "So. Why am I twenty-one instead of – what was it you said? – in my forties?"

"Prima natus typically restores a wizard to his prime," Draco seemed thoughtful, tapping his clasped hands to his chin. "You said 1980? That'd be right before – "

"Right before my parents," Harry finished with a sigh. "Before you got sentenced to Azkaban."

"Yeah, I have many questions about _that_ ," Sirius insisted pointedly. "But why now?"

"A lot of experts," Draco scoffed at this, "Believe that magic will restore the wizard to a suitable time to meet their destined match, so they would be of similar or compatible ages."

"What does it do if he doesn't find his match? Or produce offspring?" Hermione questioned, looking far more serious than she had a few moments ago. "You mentioned a blood spell, so I doubt it's anything good."

"The blood is used in case of a resurrection," Draco offered before frowning, "Although, if he doesn't, he can expect all sort of unpleasantness."

"Such _as_?" Sirius urged.

He squinted in thought and knocked a knuckle against his temple, "If I'm remembering right, he can expect an increase in pain and sickness, such as loss of appetite and nausea to name a few, before eventually feeling the equivalent to three Cruciatus curses every hour of every day until the spell inevitably tables him as useless and goes back to the former prima natus."

Sirius stood up abruptly, fake smile plastered on his face as he maneuvered his way around the three of them, "Fucking _lovely_ , brilliant, absolutely just – love, you warded for muggles?" Hermione nodded dumbly at him and he beamed, opening the back door and letting it bang shut behind him. He stepped into the backyard to let out a lungful of screams, screaming and cursing until his throat felt raw, and all he wanted to do was scream until he coughed up blood.

"Sirius, hey, come back inside," Harry urged, standing over him as he lay in the grass. "We're trying to figure out a game plan."

"Just leave me here to die," he insisted hoarsely, staring down at the ant crawling past his nose. He heard Harry sigh after a minute or two and retreat back into the house.

Not a moment later, he heard footsteps and a huff, and he was being rolled onto his side, Hermione frowning down at him as he glared up at her.

"Look, I know these circumstances aren't ideal," she said, and growled when he rolled his eyes and tried to lay back into the dirt, shoving him back into the spot she'd positioned him in. " _Stop that_ – I know it sucks, but you've got another chance at life. The first one you had was wasted through no fault of your own, the best you can do is take hold of this one by whatever way you see fit."

He sat up on his elbows and frowned back at her, squinting up at her since she had a halo of sunlight cast around her, "I don't know if you heard, princess, but I essentially have to tether myself to a woman to get babies out of her, or live everyday wishing for death. What kind of life is that?"

She crouched down to him and pouted, "Oh, boo-hoo. You get to be a loving father for the rest of your life and undo all of the horribleness your own parents bestowed unto you. Listen, yeah it sucks that you get no autonomy for that part of your life, but you heard Draco. This woman, whoever she may be, is meant to be your perfect match. You know how many people would kill for that?"

He sat up fully and stared down at the dirt. "I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't want to – to come back. If I died, I should've stayed dead."

"I know you didn't," she sat next to him, settling her hand on his shoulder. "I know it's unfair to you too. But…I don't know. There's not much we can do to fix it, you know? Best to just work with what we've got and go from there. And Harry and I, we'll help you. We may even be able to bully Draco into helping too."

He nodded, slowly, sitting in silence with her for a few more moments. They watched the clouds go by, drifting lazily in the slight breeze. It really was a nice neighborhood. Lots of open space and nature, close enough to a small town to walk if you needed something. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Thanks. You're good at that."

She chuckled, smiling at him, "I've had practice. Harry gets dramatic sometimes."

"Oh my God, he is just like James," he laughed, standing and offering a hand to help her up as she laughed.


	4. Soil

**Hi! I've gotta say I've really enjoyed writing this story, and I'll admit I'm already several chapters ahead lol.**

 _"Would the Oak say to the Pine/ "Not so many needles next time/ Try a few leaves, you'll do just fine if you look a little more like me"..." - James Spaite, "Soil"_

* * *

"Here's the plan," Harry insisted, using the little porcelain figures he'd found at the top of Hermione's closet, moving them around the dining table as she absolutely seethed directly behind his chair. "When outside, Sirius needs to be Padfoot. Smudge. Whoever." At this, Harry held up a tiny porcelain pig. Sirius scoffed. "There wasn't a dog, sorry."

Draco hummed, arms crossed over his chest and looking bored as he sat beside Harry. He hadn't said anything since Hermione and Sirius had returned from the backyard, but he was looking at Harry like he brought him endless amusement.

"Hermione will find witches that could probably be Sirius's match," Harry stated, holding up a figurine of a little girl with a bouquet of daisies. Hermione growled dangerously at the haphazard way he was holding it, but Harry didn't seem to care for his life and personal safety. "Malfoy will do more research to get a solid idea of the prima natus and its effects so we can be ready." He held up a figurine of a blonde boy pulling up carrots from a tiny patch of grass he was attached to.

"Solid," Malfoy said in amusement, openly smirking now. Sirius eyed the back of his head, but he merely indicated for Sirius to wait a moment.

"I'll field the Ministry, make sure they don't catch wind of Sirius, and get them to take down that old-ass wanted poster," Harry announced, holding up a figurine of what looked like a barrel.

"Several thoughts arise," Draco practically purred. "One - I believe Granger is about to have a coronary over you touching those."

At the mention of it, Hermione immediately snatched up every figurine and neatly put them back in the box, plucking the barrel out of Harry's hand and growling at him. "Those were my mother's you absolute _walnut_." Harry blushed and called out his apologies as she stormed off to put the figurines away.

"Two - you didn't need the figurines in the first place," Draco sniffed, momentarily checking his cuticles. "Three - there's a registry for those found to have been under the prima natus spell. It's all legal, so not to offend your backwards Gryffindor sense of morality, and it'll get him a wand again."

"Fuck yes, I need a wand," he sighed. He'd often thought of sneaking Hermione's from her, maybe one to just make sure she didn't think he needed to be neutered, all it would take would be a simple confundus, but the woman kept it on her at all times. Constant vigilance, he was sure, so she must've come into contact with Moody at some point.

"You'll need to go into the ministry to do it, so you can get the posters taken down then as well," Draco shrugged. "It's inevitable that others will find out, but there shouldn't be any issue. Most will likely be curious or intrigued by a returned prima natus in the flesh, or have some notion that he was destined by the cosmos to have them carry his heirs, but that shouldn't be anything new to him. Sacred 28, and all that."

"Sacred what?" Harry blinked as Sirius groaned.

"People still buy into that shit?" Sirius questioned as Draco nodded, Hermione looking curiously at the boys as she returned.

"Buy into what shit?" She asked.

"The Sacred 28 bullshit that's nothing but pureblood propaganda and high society rules," he scoffed. "I was rubbish at it."

"Gee, I never would've guessed," Hermione remarked casually. "You seem oh-so refined."

" _Hermione_ ," Harry hissed, aghast, but Sirius took to laughter. "You can't just - just sass people around when you've just met them!"

"Mate, I lied to her and lived in her house as a dog," Sirius waved his offense away, "If anybody can get away with sassing me, I think the witch should get a free pass."

Hermione stuck her tongue out at Harry, and he took to flipping her the bird and glaring.

Draco sighed and stood, pushing his chair back in at the table. "I suggest you three settle the paperwork with the Ministry as soon as possible."

"What'll you be up to?" Harry asked.

"I will be researching, and getting as far away from the shitstorm that's sure to follow you Gryffindors," he sniffed, Sirius rolling his eyes. "Granger, owl me if you notice any symptoms beginning to arise. I'll sign myself on as his primary Healer first thing tomorrow. Given how well I've been doing and my ties to his case, I'm sure my supervisor will accept it."

"Why Hermione?" Harry asked even as she nodded.

"Because out of _all_ of you, save for McGonagall herself, she is the only one with a brain," he drawled.

"Lovely to see you too, Malfoy," Harry huffed. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out."

"Don't worry," he flashed a smile that didn't reach his eyes, making towards the Floo. "It won't."

Hermione sighed once he was gone, shooting Harry a look. "You couldn't have played nice for two more minutes?"

Harry slunk low in his chair and glared at the tabletop, "Again, I dunno _why_ you called him. We know plenty of Healers. _Actual_ Healers, not just trainees."

Hermione shot Sirius an exhausted look, even as Harry continued on. "Alicia Spinnet! She's a Healer!"

"In the _maternity_ _ward_ ," Hermione sighed. "Let me change, and we'll head to the Ministry." Sirius wasn't sure what was wrong with the shorts and t-shirt she was currently sporting, but he nodded anyway as she turned to move into her bedroom.

"Katie Bell is a Healer!" He called after her, standing slightly from the table to shout.

"Potions ward!" She called back.


	5. The Greener Side

**I'm gonna minimize the author's notes until I have something profound to say. Until then, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy!**

 _"Back in time to the greener side/_ _When we made a mess/_ _Never thinking twice..." - Plaid Brixx, "The Greener Side"_

* * *

Sirius Black found himself in the atrium of the Ministry once again, staring up at the statue and squinting to try to unsee James in the figure on the top. He focused on the two to either side of that statue, and blinked when he thought that the woman looked an awful lot like Hermione.

"What department would it be in?" Harry questioned beside him, and Sirius squinted at the man who _also_ looked an awful lot like James.

"Well we can rule out Magical Creatures for sure," Hermione answered as Sirius looked between her and the statue. "Probably the Magical Law department as well."

"Hey, Harry!" A voice called, echoing slightly around the large room, and he watched as Hermione paled and Harry grimaced. "Thought you had a day off!" The man ran up to them, beaming face quickly slipping off when he caught sight of both Sirius and Hermione. He halted, face beginning to go as red as his hair, before turning on his heel and stomping off.

"I'll go deal with Ron," Harry promised immediately, shooting apologetic looks to the both of them. "You get Sirius situated, and I'll meet you back here."

Hermione nodded and resolutely stared at the directory as Harry ran off, blinking rapidly as Sirius shifted beside her.

"So that was the ex, then?" He remarked quietly.

"Yeah," she answered.

"You two were friends?"

"Yeah," she sounded small. "I dunno if we still are, but...we were."

"Oh, come off it, love," Sirius scoffed. "Let him blow off some steam and you two will be fine." She seemed unsure, but nodded anyway. "I think Records may be our best bet."

They went off in that direction, maintaining silence the entire way there and gathering the proper forms to fill out. Hermione left Sirius in a chair to fill them out while she negotiated why the stupid wanted posters were still up, and he watched as the witches and wizards behind the desks scrambled to right their wrongdoings.

"Why do you, Harry and I'm assuming Ron have a giant statue up at the ministry?" He asked once she returned.

She blushed and sat beside him, "It's a long story."

He ruffled the stack of papers in his lap, looking at her pointedly, and she gave a small laugh.

"I think it'd be best to have Harry with us," she insisted. "It's mostly his story anyway."

He nodded, signing and ticking off boxes in silence for a few more minutes before he ultimately grew bored. He took to tapping his fingers against the armrest of the chair, which he got away with for about ten minutes before Hermione's hand squished it down flat.

"Stop that," she said with a frown.

"But I'm _bored_ ," he moaned.

"They can't be _that_ bad," she scoffed with a roll of her eyes.

He looked at her pointedly before clearing his throat and reciting the forms. "Has the prima natus ever before been resurrected? Please check yes or no. Has the prima natus successfully produced an heir previously? Please check yes or no. Has the prima natus conceived any heirs through - "

"There are _some things_ you absolutely _do not need to share_ ," she cut him off with a glare, although he grinned at getting her embarrassed. He'd just decided it would be his new favorite pastime. "Now sit there, _quietly_ , and finish your forms."

"Yes, _Moony_ ," he scoffed, only feeling a twinge of pain at the comparison. Remus had always gotten onto him about his annoying yet loud little habits when he didn't want to do something boring. He missed the man terribly, just as much as he missed Lily and James, and wondered what had happened to him. Lily and James had apparently died protecting Harry, which he figured out after a few moments of conversation with his godson, but Remus was still a mystery. He hoped it didn't have anything to do with Greyback and his pack.

She must have seen the forlorn expression that had washed over his face, because she sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "If you're nice, I'll set up a surprise for after Harry catches you up to modern times."

"Excellent," he grinned, wondering what it could possibly be, and if it had anything to do with Moony.

He diligently filled out his forms, and handed them back to the secretary so she could file them away.

"So you're a prima natus?" she asked airily, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear and batting her lashes.

Sirius blinked back at her. "I hope so, or I filled out the wrong forms."

She tilted her head back to laugh, and he caught Hermione's snort just slightly behind him.

"Harry's waiting for us," she said before stepping out of the Records department, not looking to see if Sirius was following. He did, not sparing another glance to the witch behind the desks, and gave a small scoff as he caught up with her.

"Thanks for that," he muttered, "I didn't feel like getting trapped into a conversation with her."

Hermione gave a short laugh and grinned, "She's not that bad, but I agree. Definitely didn't have the best of intentions."

"Although I am curious how I'm supposed to find my supposed match," Sirius admitted with a frown.

She shrugged, "We can check with Draco tomorrow, I'm not doing anything. Plus, I'd love to get my hands on some research material myself. I will admit, I'm curious about this spell, particularly why I've never heard of it."

"Probably one of those things that's passed through the families, but nobody ever bothers to write it down for the general public," Sirius hummed, coming into the atrium and seeing Harry standing next to the redheaded man known as Ron. He heard Hermione take a shuddering breath, and bent down next to her to whisper in her ear. "Just breathe, what's the worst that could happen?"

"You don't know Ron," she hissed back before they reached the two, Ron effectively shutting up and looking between Hermione and Sirius.

"So - you've had an...exciting time," Ron started lamely, wincing at Hermione as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Thought I was adopting a stray," she said, her arms coming up to wrap around herself.

"Sirius Black," Sirius said brightly, extending his hand for the other man to shake as he scrambled to pull his out of his pockets.

"Ron Weasley," he answered, smiling and nodding a bit before turning to Harry. "And what did you do, mate?"

Harry sputtered, "Nothing! I don't go around resurrecting people! First Malfoy, then you!"

"Malfoy?" Ron snorted, rolling his eyes. "Of course, you called Malfoy first."

Hermione bristled, "He's a Healer with a knowledge of the Dark Arts, Ronald."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he flapped the comment away, "What'd the ferret figure out?"

"Something called a prima natus," Harry answered, blinking when Ron let out an impressed whistle. "You know what that is?"

"'Course, my grandad was one for the Weasleys," Ron said before scratching the side of his nose, "Well, it doesn't really matter, it's not as if we're lacking in any sort of heirs."

"So we _should've_ called Ron," Harry said, triumphantly, before deflating once he saw Hermione's deep frown and Sirius's glare.

Ron winced before clearing his throat and shifting from foot to foot, "I can't blame her, mate. I haven't, err, been itching to call and chat either." Hermione relaxed a bit before Ron snapped his head back up. "I mean! I haven't been avoiding you! It's not like I never want to speak to you again, it's just - !"

"Awkward," she laughed, settling her arms to her sides when he exhaled and agreed. "Especially with my unexpected house guest. I wasn't sure how you would see things, and I guess I got scared."

"Look, it's not like I knew you were a witch," Sirius defended bluntly.

Ron laughed, reaching forward and giving Hermione a hug, patting her on the back like he would Harry before they quickly released, both looking better than they first had.

"Harry, I think we need to give Sirius a very lengthy history lesson," Hermione announced before Harry and Ron groaned in unison. "Fine! I'll just tell him all of the embarrassing things you two have ever done instead!"

"Nonono," Harry insisted, wrapping an arm around Hermione and clapping a hand over her mouth. "Fine, we'll get him up to speed. You keep your mouth shut, or - or I'll tell him about what happened with the Polyjuice potion in second year."

"Oof, Harry, that's harsh," Ron winced as Sirius swiveled his head between the three, eager to get started. "Where we headed? Harry's place?" At Harry's nod, Ron hummed thoughtfully. "I'll grab the liquor and meet you there."

"Aren't you on the clock?" Sirius asked curiously as he wandered off.

"Not if I leave before they catch me!" he called back.

"Well," Sirius said brightly, settling his hands on his hips and smiling, "I think I'll fit in just fine."


	6. Oranges

_"Taking some risks as if you're afraid/ If life gave you an orange would you make lemonade?/ And it's funny how nobody sings about oranges when you've got one in the palm of your hand..." - Lawrence, "Oranges"_

* * *

Sirius gave a low groan, tugging his pillow over his head and trying to stretch his legs out as far as they'd go. He'd been horrified to learn that "Harry's Place" was _actually_ Grimmauld Place, a fact that even Hermione and Ron had shared grimaces over. Sirius had soldiered on for Harry, masking his abject horror at being in the house until the man had suggested Sirius living in the house with him.

"It _is_ your house, after all," Harry had mentioned as Ron pinched the bridge of his nose and shot Sirius a worried look.

"Well!" Ron had spoken up, "Mind if I move in as well? Been trying to get out of George's hair now that he's doing well."

"Of course, mate!" Harry had seemed thrilled. "The more the merrier, there's plenty of rooms here."

Sirius had given Ron a thankful tip of the head before he uncorked his muggle beer and attempted to down it all in one go.

The night had involved Harry, Ron and Hermione laying down the story for him, starting from Lily and James being under the Fidelius Charm, which he knew about, up to the end of the final battle at Hogwarts. He was still left with many questions, but he knew he wasn't in any rush to get them answered now. Remus had gotten married to his tiny cousin Nymphadora, and they'd had a son before they were both killed in the battle. Emmeline Vance, who'd been his on-again off-again girlfriend, had went down swinging during the first Wizarding War, and he'd startled the trio by laughing because he couldn't imagine any other way the witch would've wanted to die.

He remained perfectly still when he heard the door to his old bedroom open, because he absolutely did not want to wake up and deal with being in this house sober. But the person stepped into the room, pulled the curtains open, and threw his shoes onto his back.

"Wakey, wakey!" Hermione sang, annoyingly chipper when he had a hangover, but then again she'd only had a butterbeer last night. Or maybe two, it certainly wasn't like he was counting when he was actively trying to get as drunk as possible.

"Fuck off," he grumbled under the pillow.

"As much as I'd _love_ to, can't," she insisted before casting a few dusting charms around the room, making a frown of distaste at the pictures of scantily clad women atop motorbikes. "We've got a full day ahead of us! Harry made a quick stop to Gringotts this morning and got you the full Black family fortune back, so we're going to get you a wand, bother Draco for more information, and probably find you a full wardrobe. Unless, of course, you're particular to wearing that set of clothes for eternity, which I wouldn't recommend."

"Hold on," he rolled onto his back and squinted at the light, trying to pull his brain together. "Harry did what?"

"Got you the Black family fortune back," she repeated, "You'd given him everything in your will, but he thought the money should be yours."

"Brill," he said as he sat up, digging a shoe out from under the covers to tug it on. He couldn't believe he'd gone to bed fully clothed, as that was normally his pet peeve, but he supposed he'd wanted to be unconscious faster. Drunk Sirius had a knack for just wanting to sleep. "The bit about the wand?"

"We can do that first," she nodded, "I've got to make some stops in town, so I'll leave you to it at Ollivander's and we can make the trip to Mungo's after that."

"And you'll take me to muggle thrift shops?" He asked with a growing grin, even at her confused stare. "I _love_ those places. They've got the best things."

"Sure, I don't see why not," she smiled back. "I'll get some galleons converted while you're at Ollivander's too."

"Shouldn't take too long," he insisted as he stood and ruffled his hair into place. "I've got my old wand memorized. Vine, 8 and ¾ inches, dragon heartstring. Very practical."

"The wand chooses the wizard, and no two wands are made the same," Hermione chided, "I highly doubt you'll find a wand with the same dragon's heartstring as the one you had in 1980."

Sirius scoffed, rolling his eyes at her as he motioned her towards the door, "Ladies first, princess."

She scoffed as well, meandering down the stairs as he followed before he paused on the landing, peering at a portrait with curtains wrapped around it.

"Sirius!" Hermione hissed quietly from the foyer, "Don't touch that!"

He arched a brow at her before smirking and batting at the curtain with one hand. Her eyes screamed murder, so he did it again, more vigorously this time, so the curtains flung open and he was met with screeching.

"MUDBLOOD! FILTH! TARNISHING MY PRECIOUS HOME!" Walburga Black, or at least the painting of her, wailed as Hermione thundered back up the stairs and tried to tug the curtains closed as Sirius gaped at his mother. Her painted gaze settled on him, and her rage increased. "BLOOD TRAITOR SCUM! THE WORST EXCUSE FOR A WIZARD I HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED!"

"Shut the fuck up, _mum_ ," he growled, yanking it shut forcibly and bumping into Hermione as he did so. Once all was quiet again, he sighed and pressed a hand to her back to guide her back downstairs. "Guess that's what I get for not listening to you."

She chuckled, "I've known Harry and Ron for nine years and they _still_ don't listen to me."

He barked a laugh and they headed towards the Floo, "So. Muggleborn or half-blood?"

"Muggleborn and proud, thank you," she beamed. "My parents were dentists, they were a sort of doctor that specialize in teeth."

"Oh right, Moony hated them," he chuckled as they paused outside of the fire grate. "His mum, she was a Muggle, insisted he go, and they tried to give him braces. She figured taking him to Mungo's the once for straight teeth was easier than having to explain why her ten year old son kept snapping the wires off every month."

She gave another laugh, and they were through the Floo and to the Leaky Cauldron. She urged Sirius that she'd be back at Ollivander's to pick him up when she was done getting her own things, but Sirius scoffed and said he'd meet her at the bank in an hour, and if he wasn't there _then_ she could meet him at Ollivander's.

He was expecting the wand shop to have maintained itself since the last time he'd stepped in at eleven, but he was wrong. There was a new counter, and new, much taller shelves for wands and those rolling ladders that were normally in libraries. He'd paused in confusion, letting the door shut behind him and the bell above ring again, and wondered if Ollivander had returned to wandmaking after being kidnapped by Death Eaters.

"Yes, yes, I heard you," the aging wizard said as he appeared from the back, staring Sirius down before chuckling. "Mister Black. You do seem to be a sight for sore eyes. Lorena, a dress maker a few doors down, told me the news late yesterday. I knew better than to believe it before you stepped in my door, but it seems I owe it to her."

Sirius grinned at the familiar face, as he hadn't had too many of those since he came to the future. "It's great to see you too. Think you can get me settled with a new wand?"

"If I cannot, I will hang my apron and close the doors forever," he announced, waving Sirius to the back.

Which was precisely where Hermione found him an hour later, smugly standing over him with her arms crossed as he frowned up at her from his position on a step ladder.

"Shut up, Granger," he grumbled threateningly. He hoped that really was her last name, as he'd only heard it a few times. It could've been an odd nickname, which was entirely in the realm of possibility considering his friends took to calling him 'Padfoot.'

"Hermione Granger?" Ollivander poked his head out of the stacks of wands, confirming Sirius's suspicions of her last name. "Well! Two familiar faces in one day!"

"Hullo, sir," she smiled kindly to him. "Need some help?"

"Oh, if you have the time, dear," he responded, delving back into the stacks of wands. "I'm afraid Mister Black may be my most difficult case yet!"

She smirked at him again, and he glared harder as he flicked the wand Ollivander handed to him, only to have a puff of smoke come out of the tip. Hermione climbed atop a ladder and began handing wands to him, so he was going through two at a time instead of one, handing each defective wand back to either Ollivander or Hermione to replace and give him a new one.

After thirty or so minutes of this, he finally held one that lit up. "Thank _God_ ," he insisted as he stood and stretched, bumping the ladder and causing Hermione to screech and fall into his arms.

They took a second or two to blink at each other, both obviously scared shitless at what had just transpired, before he cracked a grin. "Falling for me already, love?"

Hermione's look of surprise shifted into a deadpan glare as she shoved at his face and got herself down from his hold. "You wish, Sirius."

"Let me see," Ollivander took the wand from his hand, either not caring at all about Sirius's methods of flirtation, or simply pretending not to. "Hawthorn, 9 and a half inches, dragon heartstring from...ah, Norwegian Ridgeback. Interesting, your old wand was from a Peruvian Vipertooth." At this, Hermione smirked. He ignored her. "Lightweight yet sturdy. A very excellent wand."

"Thank you, sir," Sirius said, taking the wand back and feeling much more relaxed than he had in a month. "How much?"

"Absolutely nothing," Ollivander insisted sternly. "It was a pleasure to see you, the both of you. I do not want your money."

Sirius huffed, ready to argue, but Hermione tugged at his arm. "Well, we've got to get going then. Thank you, sir!"

"Any time, dear!" He brightened, "Feel free to visit whenever your schedules allow!"

Sirius looked at her curiously as she led him to the front of the shop, hurriedly slapped a few galleons on the counter, and sprinted out of the door with him following.

"That's what my dad did when we got my wand," Hermione explained with a laugh. "He and Ollivander hit it off so well, that Ollivander didn't want his money. Dad sent me and Mum outside so he could put a few bills under the corner of the register and sneak outside."

He chuckled, just imaging Ollivander's annoyance at discovering they'd paid, before realizing that Hermione had really been the one to pay in the first place. "I'll buy you lunch, since you did that."

She snorted, "Don't bother, consider it a - well, a homecoming gift."

He laughed, settling the wand in his back pocket as they wandered the streets of Diagon Alley. He tried to ignore the stares and hushed whispers others did when they saw him, but the further they got into the heart of the town, the more difficult it became. He stiffened entirely when a young girl of no more than fourteen shyly edged into their path and took deep breaths.

"Are you Hermione Granger?!" She asked quickly, squealing when Hermione nodded. "D'you mind taking a picture with me?"

"Of course not," Hermione smiled kindly, and Sirius happily hopped out of frame as the girl's mother readied the camera. She wished the girl and her mother a nice day, and regrouped with Sirius to head towards Mungo's.

"When you three mentioned how you got that statue, I didn't even think of what that meant for your celebrity status," Sirius remarked, even as she sighed.

"It's mostly on Harry, being the _Chosen One_ ," she rolled her eyes. "Ron loves the attention though, Harry and I could do without it."

"Everyone seems nice to you, though," he said.

"Imagine being a Muggleborn celebrity," she pointed out. "The very people who insisted you didn't belong in this world one day, will turn around and sing your praises the next. And if I do or say anything, everybody assumes I haven't 'assimilated' and that I need to be taught how to do things from a Wizarding perspective."

"How cumbersome," Draco announced as he appeared on Sirius's other side, smirking as the two jumped. "I heard whispers that _the_ Hermione Granger was walking towards Mungo's with some mysterious stranger beside her. Don't tell me you two were on your way to see little old me?"

Hermione snorted, arching a brow and grinning at him, "Are you Sirius's primary Healer or not, you wanker?"

He gave what appeared to be a genuine smile and nodded, "My supervisor was _very_ impressed at my knowledge outside of the standard curriculum, and I've been catapulted a month closer to getting my certification."

"Congratulations!" She responded as Sirius wondered about their dynamic. It appeared that Harry and Ron couldn't stand Draco, and he could only guess that the feeling was mutual. Hermione, however, had seemed to be personally victimized by the blonde Slytherin throughout school, and the two were perfectly cordial, considering the circumstances.

"I'm on my lunch break right now, but we can head to my flat and I'll give you the symptoms to look out for," he directed this at Sirius before looking to Hermione, "As well as giving you all the books on the subject. To _borrow_."

"Oh please," she snorted as she reached to take his arm, Sirius taking the other, "Who do you think I am?"

"A dragon with a bush on its head that favors hoarding books," he snarked, Apparating away just as she made a noise of indignation.


	7. Doctor

" _Waiting for the day these thoughts will go away/ Knowing forever I'm alive…" – Truslow, "Doctor"_

* * *

Hermione coughed and gulped down lungfuls of air once they appeared in Draco's flat. "You _absolute_ fucking _prat._ "

"You say such sweet things to me," Draco sniffed before turning to his bookshelves.

"So what's the deal with you two?" Sirius finally asked, looking around at the living space. Bare walls, a dark gray carpet and a black sofa were the only things there beside the bookshelves and the Floo system. Sirius found it odd, as Malfoys were typically ostentatious decorators with their faces and family on display. He wondered if the man had a single picture in his home. "You two lovers? Friends? Is _that_ why you and Ron broke up?"

Hermione snorted so hard he was afraid she'd ruptured something, and Draco made a gagging noise.

"Not lovers then?" Sirius peered between the two.

" _Fuck_ no," Draco answered before looking to Hermione. "When did you split with the Weasel? A wise decision, and a long time coming, but still."

She glared back at him, "None of your damn business, ferret."

"So how did you two become friends?" Sirius asked as he perched himself on the back of Draco's couch. The blond shot him a look, but sighed as he pulled out several tomes.

"Would you like to elaborate for him?" He asked.

Hermione sighed as well, "After the War, I was left with...some ailments that could only be tied to exposure of the Dark Arts. Many Healers were unable to help, seeing as they couldn't pinpoint the exact curse used, but Draco could. He rather saved my life, and the experience got him into Healing as a practice."

"Rather helped that my fucking lunatic of an aunt cast it in front of me on our rug," the man said as he dropped the books on the end table carelessly, meeting Hermione's deep frown and glare head on. "He rather _needs_ to know you were _tortured_ by our family."

"Don't you think it should've been on _my_ terms?" She questioned as Sirius rose from the couch.

"Hold on, fucking - _Bellatrix?_ " Sirius asked, trying to breathe evenly. "You - you mentioned being captured by Death Eaters but -"

"That would be when this happened," Draco nodded, grabbing her forearm and lifting it up as he undid a spell. Sirius saw, for the first time in a month of living with the woman, the word _Mudblood_ etched into her skin.

She yanked her arm forcibly from him, smacking him with her other hand as she worked to replace the enchantment.

"How in the _fuck_ were you _hiding that?!_ " Sirius questioned loudly. He didn't want to call it yelling, per se, but he would be getting pretty close to it.

Hermione sighed, pausing in her spell casting and fidgeting. "I don't like others seeing it. I cast the spell every morning when I get out of the shower."

"Most everyone would understand its presence," Draco scoffed, "Dunno why she insists on hiding it. Do Potter and Weasley think it's all healed up?"

"Harry doesn't even know it's there," she sat on the end table next to the books and rubbed at an eye. She suddenly looked far older than she actually was, and Sirius didn't like it. "Ron does, but even he doesn't like to look at it."

"Bullshit," Sirius and Draco chorused, catching each other by surprise before Sirius continued.

"That's a part of you, and yeah it may remind you of some horrible memories, but it also shows that you survived all of it," Sirius insisted. "I know -"

"Knew," Draco corrected.

"- knew, thank god that bitch is dead, knew Bellatrix," Sirius said. "And sweetheart, you must be a special type of badass to have made it out of that altercation with only that stupid word on your arm."

"Special type of lucky, more like," she murmured.

"Whatever you want to do in your free time," he said, grinning when she shot him a small frown masking a smile.

Draco, sensing that this conversation needed to come to a close, pushed the books towards Hermione. "Those are mostly everything to do with prima natus, and I've color coded everything pertaining to the spell's restrictions, symptoms, the cure, and how to go about finding his perfect 'match.' Although, if you ask me, shagging and popping out a boy should do the trick without this 'soulmate' bullshit."

"How charming," Hermione responded with a roll of her eyes. "I'll still look into the matching system. We may have a clue, since he was brought into this time specifically, so we may be able to narrow things down."

"Would Black family values be embedded into the spell?" Sirius questioned, causing both to blink at him. "I've been meaning to ask. If so, I doubt Walburga and Orion would've let me slip by with a baby out of wedlock."

"Shit, yeah," Draco grimaced, running a hand through his hair and distressing its appearance once again. "If that's the case, then finding someone you can stand forever may be your only option."

"Such as his match?" Hermione teased, grinning at Draco's glare. "You can say it."

"Only when I believe it," Draco insisted. "Now get out so I can get some sleep. I'm working a double shift today and I absolutely do not want to deal with you two Gryffindors for a minute longer."

Hermione stood, shrinking the books down and placing them in her bag, pecking Draco on the cheek before making her way to Sirius. The blond scrubbed furiously at the spot, flipping her off before the two Apparated out of his hair.

They landed in a dark alley, and Sirius was still laughing at the exchange as Hermione grinned at him.

"What'd you do that to him for?" Sirius asked as she led him out of the alley and down the sidewalk.

"As much as we may have our differences, Draco really does care about me," Hermione pointed out, "He wouldn't have told you about my scar, or come running yesterday when I called him, if he didn't. And, as much of a prat as he is, I do care about him as well. Harry and Ron may not like it, but I do consider Draco a friend."

Sirius nodded, deciding that Draco had displayed his friendship toward Hermione in his own Slytherin way. He and Regulus had nearly the same relationship, up until things between them became too strained. He paused, wondering what had become of his baby brother, because he surely wasn't alive and well if Sirius himself were here.

Hermione had walked ahead and pulled open a storefront door, the two at a stalemate when they waited for the other to walk in first. Sirius gripped the door above her head and gave her a pointed look before she scoffed under her breath and went inside.

All thrift stores somehow smelled the same, Sirius noted, even twenty years into the future. The lights cast a yellow hue across the store, and there were some corners that were so dimly lit that he was sure someone could hide in them. There were two sections to the store, men's and women's, with racks upon racks of clothes, and children's clothes hung up along the walls next to the women's section. This seemed like a terribly sexist choice.

Hermione handed him a wad of Muggle money, saluted, and wandered over to the women's section.

He spent twenty minutes alone in the jackets section, getting more and more frustrated as he delved deeper and deeper. He'd been plopped into the future in a white v-neck, his favorite black jeans with the chain, and even his boots he normally reserved for Auror work or his motorcycle because they were _that_ sturdy. But, he hadn't had his favorite black leather jacket, and he desperately needed a replacement. He'd even settle for a brown one.

"Any luck?" Hermione asked, crouching down next to him.

"Absolutely not," he huffed. "Not a single leather jacket."

She arched a brow, "It's the end of August. I know it gets cold fast, but I doubt you'll need a jacket by tomorrow."

"It's a staple of _who I am_ , princess," he remarked, still searching. "It's a symbol of anarchy and rebellion at its finest. I _need_ one."

She hummed, settling a chin in her hand, "Do you call me that when you're annoyed with me?"

Sirius flushed at being called out and she punched his arm, grinning sheepishly at her as she glared and stood.

"Never call me princess again, and once it gets cold I'll take you to a proper leather store where you can find your precious jacket," she said, leaning back in surprise as he stood up abruptly.

"They have _stores_ dedicated to _leather jackets?_ " He inquired eagerly.

"All types of things made out of leather, actually," she corrected. "Although I recommend sticking with the jacket, they can be pretty pricey as is."

"Sweetheart, I'm the heir to a centuries old fortune," he scoffed before delving deeper into the thrift store.

He found a few band t-shirts that _had_ to be considered vintage, some plain t-shirts, and quite a few pairs of denim jeans before he considered himself done. He'd decide to get more later, as clothes shopping wasn't his favorite thing in the world.

"I'll drop you back off at Grimmauld Place," Hermione said as she checked her watch, completely missing Sirius's grimace. "Or...you want to go to that CD shop?" She pointed across the street to a nondescript grey building.

"What's a CD?" He questioned.

She brightened and changed course for that direction, "It's what came after records and cassettes!"

"What's a cassette?" He asked as he followed.

Hours later found him back in Grimmauld Place, eagerly showing Ron the disc player contraption Hermione had introduced him to, and trying to decide how best to organize his new collection. He'd alphabetized his records by artist and album name, and he was leaning towards doing so again with his CDs.

"Harry!" Sirius called once he heard the Floo, "Hermione showed me what CDs are! They're my new favorite thing!"

Harry wandered into the kitchen, slowly beginning to grin. "That's great! Hey, uhh, you got a minute?"

He turned and blinked at the red headed girl next to Harry, smiling politely at him. "Oh, hi, sorry for shouting."

"It's fine," she grinned, extending her hand to shake his, "I'm Ginny, Harry's girlfriend."

"And my sister, but sure, that's more important," Ron scoffed as he successfully got the music to play, jumping once the sound started abruptly in the headphones next to his ears.

"Don't be rude," Hermione murmured half-heartedly from the table, where she was deep in one of the books Draco had given her, but Ron could no longer hear her.

"Harry didn't tell me he had a girlfriend," Sirius eyed the man with a grin as he flushed. Ginny didn't seem put off by it, and hopped on the barstool next to him.

"I imagine there was a lot of information getting tossed around," she said, "I highly doubt Harry's love life is as important as what went down with the war."

"Ehh, that's boring," Sirius scoffed before relaxing against the counter. "So, tell me about yourself."

"Well, I was in Gryffindor," she admitted before jabbing a thumb at Ron, "Six older brothers, I'm the youngest of all, just a year behind these three. Fought at the Battle, and after everything had been cleaned up I'd gotten signed on to the Holyhead Harpies as a benchwarmer. _Although_ , I'm playing my first professional game as Chaser this weekend."

"You're _what?_ " Hermione popped her head up before beaming. "Oh Ginny! That's brilliant!"

"Thanks!" Ginny called with a grin, but shrugging humbly. "You know, other than that, nothing much to me."

"Oh, you know, no big deal," Sirius scoffed as Harry chuckled. "At least she's a humble one."

"Ginny?" Ron questioned dubiously. "Oh that's a load of _bullshit."_

Ginny glared at her brother, flipping him off behind Sirius's back, which caused him to mimic the gesture.

"Have any of you eaten?" Harry asked, Ginny standing as the three shook their heads. "Feel like going to the Leaky?"

Once everyone had eaten and enjoyed each other's company, most everyone took to splitting off to go home. First was Hermione, who was eager to finish reading her borrowed books and making any necessary copies for Sirius. Next was Ginny, who just knew her mother would be throwing a fit if she didn't make at least an appearance before bed. The boys had headed back to Grimmauld Place, where Ron groused about the morning shift before quickly heading up to his own room. Sirius and Harry had talked for about an hour or so after that, mentioning stories about Harry's parents, before Harry begrudgingly admitted he needed to head to bed as well.

Which left Sirius staring up at his ceiling, trying to stop feeling like the walls were closing in on him, and hoping he didn't completely lose his mind before the stupid prima natus spell got to him.


	8. No Matter Where You Are

" _I will stand by you/ Even when we fall/ I will be the rock, that holds you up/ and lifts you high so you stand tall…" – Us the Duo, "No Matter Where You Are"_

* * *

Sirius lasted precisely a week in Grimmauld Place, which he had to admit was a feat for him.

Harry and Ron worked during the day, and so he'd mainly been alone in the house. He and Kreacher took to avoiding each other, because there'd been no love lost between them, and they were rather suited to pretend that the other simply didn't exist. Yet everywhere he turned in the house, he was reminded of horrible memories. Those five years he'd been a Gryffindor in that house were some of the worst. He'd been glad to run away from it all, and show up at James's front door and be taken in without a word. He rather missed James's parents, who'd died even before the War had really broken out.

He caught himself standing outside of Regulus's room a lot, if he were being honest. He'd known his brother had been eager to be the better son once Sirius had gotten the boot, and knew that their parents had been itching for either one of them to serve Voldemort. He didn't want to know what he'd find in Regulus's room.

Probably the worst of it, however, was that blasted portrait. Since she was aware that Sirius was present, she took to flinging the curtains open at any small noise to shriek at him. It was all horribly familiar, and it was probably the straw that broke the camel's back.

He was pretty sure he'd only _coughed_ when she started screaming about his worth and how much of a disappointment he was, and at that point he'd taken to digging things out of the junk cupboard that Kreacher had been accumulating. He'd found a very nice base to a lamp, and it had looked sturdy enough, so he'd gotten a couple of swings in before transfiguring it to a muggle sledgehammer.

He hadn't even been aware that someone had come home to witness his complete meltdown before a hand had gripped his arm on the backswing, and he'd whirled around to see Harry and Ron backing Hermione as she held a vice-like grip on his bicep. The two Aurors held their wands out, looking loathe to use them, while Hermione had her feet planted firmly and using all of her body weight against him. It likely wouldn't have done much, but he surely would've noticed the tiny body sailing through the air with his arm.

"Let's get you out of here," Hermione said as Sirius heaved from his exertion. Walburga's portrait had been torn to pieces, and so had most of the wall. Rubble laid at his feet, and most of the brick was now exposed. She gently took the sledgehammer from him, and it returned to its lamp-like state.

"I'm sorry," he blurted as Ron took the lamp from her.

"Don't be," Harry insisted, looking like the entire thing was his fault. "I should've known better - I imagine it'd be like me going back to Privet Drive."

"What's Privet Drive?" Sirius asked in concern.

"Not today," Hermione insisted with a shake of her head, releasing his arm. "Go pack up your things, we're moving you out."

Sirius swayed where he stood for a moment, wondering if it was because of all the adrenaline or the prima natus. He nodded slowly and ascended the stairs, packing up anything he dearly wanted to keep. He'd found a photo album he hadn't remembered when he was fifteen, with James and Remus and even Peter, but he'd covered most of the spots where he'd been. He packed up all of his clothes and shoes, and he was quickly done.

Upon his return to the staircase, he heard the three wondering where they could take him.

"Do you think he could live with George?" He heard Harry ask.

Ron didn't seem very sure, "George is _just_ getting used to taking care of himself, I don't think he'd be able to handle Sirius with that sickness the ferret keeps talking about."

"Nonsense," Hermione snorted, "He'll come stay with me. I'll transfigure something into a bedroom for him."

"Hermione, are you sure that's smart?" Harry asked.

"Oh don't act like Sirius is some violent monster," Hermione defended, "In all honesty, I'm a little disappointed I didn't think to take a sledgehammer to her myself."

"Oh not _that_ ," Harry insisted, "I'm just saying - with you not working, you'll be in the house all day with him."

"Well, then I can turn my focus on helping him with his curse," she didn't seem to worried. "I know I'm not the most sociable, Harry, but that's hardly a reason for concern."

"Mate, if Hermione is alright with it, then I think it'll be fine," Ron shrugged.

"I can just find an apartment myself, you know," Sirius spoke up at the top of the stairs, trying not to drown in embarrassment at the recollection of throwing a massive fit at a portrait. "I don't want to put anyone out."

"With all of the symptoms sure to come your way, I'm sure having someone there just in case would be the best option," Hermione said before arching a brow. "I've got a feeling you wouldn't tell anyone anything until it's gotten tremendously bad."

Sirius scoffed as he took the steps two at a time. "I don't need to be _babysat_ , pr - " Her brows arched further up, and he cut himself off, remembering their deal. "But, fine. You want a wizard with a ton of issues for a roommate, have at it."

"Perfect," she beamed, flicking her wand and vanishing the rubble behind her. "Ron, could you have your dad send me a book on home transfiguration?"

Ron snorted, twirling the lamp base around, "It'd be best to just send him over, he's had _years_ of practice. Plus, he's been itching to see how you're doing since the breakup. Pretty sure you're his favorite behind Ginny."

"That seems like a good idea, and I will admit I miss chatting with him," Hermione hummed before turning to Sirius, "You alright with sleeping on the couch for a night or two?"

"I'd be fine with sleeping in the _tub_ ," he barked a laugh. She grinned, and bid the two other men farewell before she and Sirius Apparated back to her house.

"Thanks," Sirius said immediately upon reentering the house, trying to avoid her eye.

"Well, I wasn't sure if you remembered much about my place to Apparate us yourself, so consider it an Anti-Splinching precaution," she quipped, moving into the kitchen to make some tea, even getting out a kettle and setting it on the stove whereas most witches would simply use magic.

"That wasn't what I meant," he said as he followed, watching her work.

She smiled, handing him a mug, "I know. Do you want sugar, honey or milk in your tea?"

He snorted, watching her silently for a few moments as she awaited his answer patiently. "Honey, please."

She nodded, opening a cabinet and stretching to grab the jar, propping her knee on the counter to reach it better. "I've also set up that surprise I promised you, but it'll have to be this weekend, Harry wants to tag along too."

"The leather jacket?" Sirius brightened.

"It's not _cold yet_ ," she insisted as the kettle began to whistle. At this, she waved her wand and set it on the tea making warpath. "Late September, maybe, I'll take you to get one."

He sighed, making sure it was loud and full of complaints, as the kettle poured him a cup of tea. "Can I ask what this surprise is, then?"

"Sure, but I won't give you answers," she shrugged as she reclined against the cabinet.

"What about _hints?_ " He bargained. She arched a brow at him and gave a tiny smile. " _Does_ it have something to do with Moony?"

Her smile quirked up a little, and she took a sip from her mug.

"It _does_ ," he decided before grimacing, "Will it make me cry? I hate crying, Hermione, don't intentionally make me cry."

"I'm not the sort of person who _wants_ people to cry," she insisted. "But, I think you'll like it. I don't see how you couldn't, at least."

He hummed in response. They spent the afternoon going over the books Draco had given her, and making a list of symptoms to look out for as she took to deciphering the matching system that had looked like a giant spiderweb when depicted with a graph inside one of the books. Harry and Ron brought Muggle takeout once dinner time came, and the four acted as if Sirius's meltdown hadn't happened.

At least until he was helping Hermione look for sheets to put on the couch for him, when he asked.

"How did you three know what I was doing?" He asked as he steadied her against the step ladder she was using to peer into the top of the linen closet.

"Harry got some sort of alert that Grimmauld Place was being attacked," she answered, "He grabbed me and Ron. Each of us were trying to snap you out of it, but you were so focused. Harry and Ron were about to put you in a full body bind, but I thought you'd hurt yourself when you fell." She sighed, pulling back to ruffle up her hair and frown down at him. "In retrospect, grabbing onto you wasn't exactly smart, but I wasn't thinking."

"It was appreciated," he murmured, and they shared a nod before they tabled the conversation once again.

Arthur Weasley had aged into a bright, happy man with poor eyesight and thinning hair. He'd wrapped Hermione in a hug upon seeing her, inquiring about her health in a fatherly fashion before setting about making a room for Sirius to stay in. Sirius remained perched nearby as Arthur gave him the rundown on the Weasley family and each of their children as Hermione secured that the room was as structurally sound as the rest of the house.

"You need to come to a Burrow family dinner," Arthur said before turning a stern eye to Hermione. "The _both_ of you."

Hermione flushed before laughing, finishing the touches on a closet, "We will, I promise. Not this weekend, though, I'm afraid. Him, Harry and I have some plans."

"Oh, I've heard," Arthur chuckled before clapping his hands to signify he was finished with the window. "Alright! You're all set!"

"Thanks, Arthur," Sirius said, standing up straighter from the door frame to shake his hand. The three paused when they heard the Floo, and each moved to the living room to find Harry face down in the floor, emitting low groans.

Hermione sighed and hugged Arthur briefly, "I've got him. By the looks of it, you may want to check on Ginny."

The man nodded and gave her a fatherly kiss on the forehead, "Don't be a stranger, Miss Granger." He gave Sirius another nod, and Apparated away. Mostly due to the fact that Harry was blocking the Floo.

"Alright, mate, what's up?" Sirius asked as he crouched down and jabbed a finger into Harry's shoulder blade.

Harry muffled something into the rug before he gave tiny, weepy sounds. Hermione shared a look of confused concern and sat in the floor with them. "What was that, Harry?"

He lifted his head a fraction of an inch and blubbered out, "Ginny and I broke up." He slammed his face back into the rug to emit more sobs.

" _What?"_ Hermione crowed, grabbing Harry's ear to force him to lift his head up. " _Why?_ Have you two been having problems?"

He wrestled his ear free from her and nodded from the carpet fibers.

"Well then this is the best solution, isn't it?" Sirius questioned, patting Harry on the back. "Sure, it'll hurt, but you two will turn out for the better." Harry emitted another sob, and his gaze narrowed. "You aren't telling us the whole story, are you."

"Harry James," Hermione threatened, arms crossing over her chest. "You're either not saying something because you're scared I'll be mad, or you _know_ I'll be mad. Out with it. Which is it?"

Harry sniffled and rolled over, Sirius plucking his crooked glasses off of his face. His skin was splotchy and red, and he looked like he'd been crying long before he arrived there. "First one. Both of you."

Hermione softened immediately, placing a hand on Harry's arm, "Harry, you _know_ there's very little in this world I would be mad at you for."

"And, mate, I don't think I could ever be pissed at you either," Sirius agreed. "Besides, chances are it's not as bad as you're thinking."

Harry took a deep, shuddering breath before letting it out slowly. "Ginny and I have been having issues. Long, _long_ before you mentioned you and Ron were having some. We fought like hell to make everything seem normal, and trying to make it better. But...well," Harry started tearing up again, "There's some things you can't fix."

"Harry, it's okay," Hermione insisted gently.

He warbled again before placing his hands over his eyes, "I'm gay. Super gay. Ginny and I started having problems because of it, and...well...we talked it over today and realized that our relationship couldn't progress any further. She's _understanding_ , which feels a lot like pity, and I just keep feeling like I majorly fucked up."

Sirius and Hermione were silent for all of two seconds before Sirius snorted, trying to hide his laughter as Hermione sent death glares at him and Harry looked blearily back at him.

"You thought we'd be pissed because of that?" Sirius chortled, "Oh man, you remind me so much of Moony right now. The melodrama and the moodiness. ' _Oh, woe is me! I adore men! I'm scum of the earth!'_ " At their blank stares, his eyes widened. "Moony never _told you?!"_

"Remus wasn't gay, he married Tonks," Harry said.

"He liked guys and girls," Sirius pointed out.

"Bisexual," Hermione corrected, making Sirius light up.

"Oh good, there _is_ a word for it," he said before scoffing, "Moony thought he was a freak for not picking one. He wasn't exactly diving deep into the gay terms, though. But, yeah, he dated a Muggle man named Thackeray Melbourne for quite a while, who I'd bet all the galleons in my vault was a gay wizard who didn't want to come out of the closet yet. Honestly, what kind of name is that?"

Harry chuckled, and Hermione patted him on the arm again. "S-so, you two aren't mad?"

"Harry, why in the world would I be mad about this?" Hermione quirked a smile. "You're the brother I never had, and not _this_ or _anything_ will change that."

"So what if you're gay?" Sirius shrugged. "You're still just Harry. At least to us."

Harry beamed, sitting up and rubbing at his eyes, before taking his glasses back from Sirius. "I love you guys. Thanks." He heaved a weary sigh, "What're the papers going to say about this? Ginny and I. And how I'm gay."

"Fuck the papers," Hermione growled. "They'll make your breakup a big to-do, just like they'll do when they find out about Ron and I. If _anybody_ says absolutely _anything_ negative about either of you, or you being gay, I'll - "

" _We'll_ \- don't think you're going solo with this, Granger," Sirius corrected.

" _We'll_ take care of it," Hermione insisted, "I imagine all of the Weasleys, too."

"I'm assuming Ron is with his sister?" Sirius questioned, and Harry gave a feeble shrug. "I'm guessing so, or he'd be right here with us."

Almost as if he'd been waiting for his cue, Ron stepped out of the Floo and tripped over Harry, tackling him into the ground and hugging him close. "Ginny told me! Dad and Bill have got her, I came to check on you! Are you alright, mate?"

Harry laughed from under Ron's frame, patting him on the back, "I'm alright now. I've had some sense talked into me."

Hermione smiled as Sirius threw his weight on top of Ron, the two boys underneath emitting quiet "oof"s. "Well! Now we need to scheme to find Harry a bloke. I do miss scheming."

"If we're scheming to find _anybody_ a partner, it'll be _you,_ Sirius," Hermione insisted, frowning as Sirius began groaning, low in the back of his throat before turning into a proper moan. And not the sexy sort, either. "Sirius Black, you've got a literal _curse_ placed on you. The sooner you get things sorted out, the better!"

Ron began chuckling underneath Sirius, Harry trying to hide his own laughs as Sirius looked at them curiously. "He's officially been added in, Harry. He's been sassed."

" _Excuse you, Ronald Weasley?_ " Hermione inquired, decidedly more shrill than she'd been five seconds ago.

"You only sass when you care, Hermione," Harry defended. "It's a badge of honor."

"But who wants to be known as the sassy one?!" Hermione insisted, waving her arms to make a point. "I'd much rather be recognized for my accomplishments, or friendships! Not how much I _nag_ others!"

"Sassy is sexy, wear it with pride," Sirius stated, shrugging as he folded his arms over his chest and leaned further into Harry and Ron. "Right then. All three of us blokes will find dates and Hermione'll sass away the weird ones. There's always weird ones, Lily used to get rid of them though."

"I'm truly honored to be included," Hermione deadpanned as she stood. "I'm making tea." They heard her slam a cupboard from the kitchen, and couldn't for the life of them understand if she was upset or not.

Harry wheezed a bit before speaking, "Ron, why're your ears red?"

"Well uh," he cleared his throat before lowering his voice. "I've been seeing someone. We've only gone on a few dates, but it seems serious. I don't know when, or how, to mention it to Hermione."

"How long have you two been broken up?" Sirius inquired.

"Twoooo months?" Ron seemed unsure of the exact timing. "We broke up three weeks before Harry's birthday. I remember that because once we made the final call, I joked on who would get to keep the joint gift we'd gotten for Harry."

"Who kept it?" Harry questioned, "For curiosity's sake."

"You think Hermione would get you box seat Quidditch tickets _ever_?" Ron laughed, the pile finally dispersing and the men moving onto the couch.

"So how long has this thing with this new girl been going on?" Sirius asked, perching on the armrest of a chair and trying to keep an ear out for Hermione in the kitchen.

"Three weeks this Tuesday," Ron recited. "I think Hermione'll like her, she did in school anyway, but I… Well, I'm scared. I don't want to upset her, she's still my closest friend."

"Upset me with what?" Hermione questioned from the doorway, and Sirius grimaced as he hadn't done a very good job of listening for her.

Ron paled and shared a glance with Harry, both unsure on how to proceed, before Sirius took control of the situation.

"Ron's dating a girl, it's early but he thinks things are going well," Sirius offered, noting her blink before she shrugged and nodded.

"I can see how that would make me upset," she hummed before taking a sip of her tea.

" _Are_ you?" Ron questioned shakily.

"Not over you dating someone," she said softly, with a smile.

" _Are_ you upset?" Harry continued as he squinted at her.

Her jaw clicked and her smile seemed more forced.

"She's upset," Harry and Ron chorused.

"Did I do it?" Sirius teased with a grin. He had a habit of saying the worst of things without realizing it, and Lily often butted heads with him because of it. James used to pull his own hair out at the epic rows his girl and his best friend would have, but both knew they'd suck it up and forgive each other in the end of it.

She exhaled forcefully, and rolled her eyes, "It's a me problem, you're fine."

"Was it the thing about _us_ going out for dates and _you_ getting rid of the weird ones?" He continued on with a hum.

She stared into her mug with a frown.

"Oh," Harry said softly. Ron looked like he wanted to sink into the cushions and disappear.

"How is that a you problem?" Sirius exclaimed before laughing, standing and making his way to her, "Love, you're a gorgeous witch and scary as hell. I'm sure you'll have no problem finding a bloke and batting away all of the weirdos we'll _all_ be encountering, should you choose to." He patted her on the shoulder and moved into the kitchen to fix his tea.

"So," Hermione carried on in the living room, "Who's the girl, Ron?" Ron groaned. "I know her, don't I? It better not be _Lav-Lav."_

"I'll kill you if it's Lav-Lav," Harry swore.

"It's not Lavender!" Ron insisted. "She's Hufflepuff!"

"Oh all of the Hufflepuff girls in our year were so sweet," Hermione said, having moved to the arm chair during Sirius's absence. "The boys left a lot to be desired, though."

"Justin Finch-Fletchley," Harry nodded solemnly, grinning at Sirius's confused glance once he returned. "Total wanker."

" _Major_ wanker," Ron agreed.

"So long as I don't know their parents, we'll be good," Sirius laughed, watching as Ron screwed his face up in thought. "That was a joke, but now I'm scared."

"You _shouldn't,"_ Ron hummed. "You know what? I'll have you guys meet her soon. You can ask her yourself."

"Not Saturday," Harry and Hermione chorused, and Ron waved the comment away as he nodded absently.

"I should really ask _her_ how serious we are, before I jump the bum," Ron mused.

"Jump the _gun_ ," Hermione insisted with a groan. "Not - whatever. You haven't defined your relationship with this girl?"

"Hermione, I never did that with _you_ ," Ron snorted with a grin, "Everybody went 'oh! They're dating!' And we never said or did anything to disprove that. I never _once_ asked if you wanted to be my proper girlfriend or anything."

Hermione stared at him for a scarily long time before setting her mug on the coffee table and putting her head in her hands. "You never did. And neither did I. Oh my God. Three years in a _sham_ of a relationship."

"It wasn't a _sham_ , you mad woman," Ron defended.

"A _mockery_ of the entire dating establishment," Hermione bemoaned, obviously teasing as Harry chuckled at them, Sirius grinning as he settled himself in the floor.

"We were _serious,_ Hermione!" Ron declared.

"Funny, thought I was!" Sirius piped in, getting all three of them to groan as he cackled. "This is great, you three aren't used to a decade of my Sirius jokes."

"We'll be on high alert, now," Harry smiled, looking far happier than he had upon arrival. Which, really, Sirius figured making their kid happy was the least he could do for Lily and James.


	9. Diamond Dreams

**Hey guys, sorry about the less consistent updates! Normally, when I used to write, I would write a chapter, post it, and then immediately start on the next one. Granted, I was fifteen and had loads more free time than I do now, lol. I like to think the quality of my writing has improved as well since then, but I've found I'm having difficulty keeping events and information straightened between chapters. If you find things that were mentioned in previous chapters that the characters seem to think is brand new information, just chalk it up to me being an idiot and enjoy the rest of the chapter itself as I try to get a grip on writing again.**

" _Money can buy you a kingdom of things/ But you can't put a price tag on these diamond dreams/ We own these streets like we're royalty/ With empty pockets and worn out jeans/ Living our lives like we're kings and queens/ We're running wild on these diamond dreams…" –_ Castro, _"Diamond Dreams"_

* * *

"Why do I have to be ' _presentable_ ,' again?" Sirius questioned dully, his feet propped on the dining room table as Hermione focused on tying her sash on her sundress for what had to be the fifteenth time. He'd put on a button down and tucked it into his jeans, so nobody could say he didn't try, but he'd protested the entire thing.

He'd nearly last a full three days as Hermione's roommate, dedicating Friday to his strange surprise he was 80% sure had to do with Moony, and Saturday would be spent meeting Ron's new girlfriend and trying to find one for Sirius.

When Harry arrived, in a button down and jeans, Sirius felt slightly better.

"Hermione, you're wearing a dress," Harry remarked in surprise, and Sirius groaned deep in his throat as Hermione turned to stare back at him. "You never wear dresses!" He tried to defend.

"Not for you, you ungrateful twat," she said as she swatted him with her sash before tossing it onto the dining table, next to Sirius's feet. Sirius eyed the spot where he knew the scarred slur lay on her skin, under the glamor charm he knew was placed far, far before she ventured out of her bedroom. He tried to keep his frown behind his hand, where neither of them could see it.

He wasn't sure why Hermione hiding her scar bothered him. It was her body and her decision, after all. Perhaps it was that she was keeping a secret from Harry that bothered him, but it wasn't as if best friends necessarily needed to share every dark secret they kept. There were plenty of things he hadn't told James or Remus. Maybe it was the scar itself, and that he could only imagine how horrible the experience had to have been. This wasn't a happy train of thought, and he realized with a slight start that Harry and Hermione had been chatting the entire time.

"So _what_ is going on?" Sirius asked again with a sigh.

Harry checked his watch, "You think it's about time?"

"Should be," Hermione hummed.

They each stood and grabbed Harry's arms, Apparating to a decent sized garden with tables and chairs set up and fairy lights strung up overhead. There were plenty of people milling around, and Sirius realized with a start that everyone was dressed to impress. Not that he and Harry were horribly underdressed, but they did stick out seeing as they were the only attendees not wearing floral patterns or lace and taffeta.

There was a tiny voice yelling out Harry's name at full capacity, and Harry had crouched down to scoop up the toddler once he came running.

"Harry!" The little boy cheered, hugging onto Harry tightly as the man did the same.

"Hello, Teddy," Harry beamed, pulling back to watch as the little boy's hair went from blonde to Harry's dark, messy mop. "You're getting better and better with that every time I see you!"

The boy, Teddy, beamed, showing an array of crooked baby teeth and plenty of gaps. He looked over Harry and gasped once he caught sight of Hermione.

"Hermy!" He crowed, and Hermione laughed before leaning over and kissing the boy's tiny nose.

"I wondered where my grandson went barreling off to," a kind voice remarked, looking at the group fondly, her gaze resting on Sirius. She was a tall woman with a regal stature, and held herself with confidence. Her auburn hair was greying in a distinguished manner, and her eyes looked like molten silver with tiny laugh lines around her temples. He was fairly sure his mother used to call them crow's feet, though he hadn't the foggiest idea why they were called that.

"Hermy!" Teddy insisted, reaching for the brunette so she could put the tot on her hip.

"Come on, Teddy, introduce me to everyone," she insisted before sweeping into the party, Harry grinning at Sirius before he followed, leaving Sirius with this unnamed woman.

"Err, thanks for having us," he said, taking a gander that this woman was the hostess. She looked at him as if she were studying him, so he held out his hand, "Sirius Black."

"I know who you are," she stated, and he lowered the hand slowly. "You don't recognize me, do you?"

"I can't say I do, I'm sorry," he said straight away, growing confused as the woman laughed and enveloped him in a hug.

"I've _missed_ you, Siri," she murmured into his shoulder, gripping him tight. "You've no idea."

" _Andy?!_ " Sirius pulled back to stare at his favorite cousin. She'd been so bright and full of fire the last he'd seen her, and while the fire was still present he was sure it'd been dwindled to a calming flame. "You - oh my God, Andy, I can't believe you're here." He doubled up and hugged her again, breathing her in deeply and grinning when he recognized that same bergamot soap she always used.

"You're telling me," she chuckled, pulling away and sweeping his hair from his face. "Handsome as ever, you are," she beamed as she tugged on his chin, twisting his head this way and that as he laughed. "I bet you have some questions."

"More and more every day," he admitted with a sigh, smiling as she turned and beckoned him into the house.

"Hermione!" She hissed as she passed, making her turn from talking to a couple of blonde girls that seemed awestruck by her presence. "You're in charge! Where's Teddy?"

"Harry's got him," she nodded towards a large oak tree, where Harry was spinning Teddy carefully in a tire swing.

Andromeda seemed satisfied with this and nodded, turning back into the house and leading Sirius to what had to have been Ted's office. There, Andromeda went through the lengthy discussion of what she knew of the prima natus, which given that she'd been the eldest Black sister as well as a Curse Breaker before becoming a mother in the midst of a war, was a great deal.

"I learned everything I could at seventeen," she shrugged, "Before I ran off with Ted. I'm not surprised no one told you, given that we were in the middle of a war and you'd skipped off the family tree."

"Well, then why do you know?" Sirius questioned. "You don't have the prima natus, and it was just you and your sisters."

"We needed to know for when we were married off. The mother performs the initial spell," Andromeda shrugged, leaning against the book shelf. "Having a preexisting bond with the child helps the spell perform better."

"Of course, it was Walburga," he sighed, hitting his head against the back of the chair.

She chuckled, pulling a slim leather journal out of the shelves and passing it to him, "There. That's everything everyone in the Black family has noticed about the matching system."

"Why didn't I have this before?" He grumbled as he thumbed through it. He paused and blinked at a _very_ detailed diagram, and quickly shut it. That was something to look at it in the privacy of a bedroom, and he was dreading what it had to do with the prima natus.

"It's only ever handy once a prima natus pops up, and the Blacks hadn't had one for nearly a century. I wanted to borrow it and study its effects, and at the time my father considered it a sign of me being interested to have my own heir," she sighed.

He remembered how much he admired her when they were kids. She was smart, and ambitious, and super talented. He remembered sitting in the room the adults would banish all of the children to, surrounded by his cousins as Regulus perched eagerly on his lap, watching as Andromeda concentrated on controlling her "accidental" bursts of magic until they would spiral up in tendrils into the air and cascade in golden showers around them.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but...what happened to you?" Sirius asked.

She gave a soft smile and regarded a framed picture on the edge of the desk. She didn't offer to show it to Sirius. He didn't take it personally. "Ted died. So did Nymphadora and her husband. My only family who'll claim me is my amazing grandson, and I wouldn't trade him for the world. But sometimes...sometimes I think if I could go back and change it, I'd rather kill myself than see any of them die again."

Sirius stood and wrapped his arms around her again, holding her close as she gathered herself together again. "I'm here. I'm back. We're family."

Andy released a small sniffle and cupped his face again, smiling back at him, "We're family."

His own smile faltered, and he finally asked the question he'd been dreading the answer to, "R...Regulus?"

Andromeda's eyes welled up once more, and she tightened her hold on him. "He died a hero, Sirius."

Sirius felt his throat close up, his eyes beginning to water and itch. "How?" All he could picture was little Reggie, his kid brother, toddling behind him and gripping his shirt sleeves so they wouldn't get separated. Regulus, ten years old and eagerly sneaking into Sirius's bedroom to share their excitement at Sirius's impending arrival at Hogwarts.

The Slytherin student that sneered and avoided his eyes was a shell of his brother, the first layer most people ever saw. Coming home from Hogwarts that first year to Walburga screaming at him, and Regulus avoiding him as if he weren't there, probably caused the inevitable rift between the two to grow.

"He... _was_ a Death Eater," she winced, bringing Sirius back to the present, "Voldemort gave him a Horcrux to hide. He took it, left a replacement, and hid it until those kids took care of it." He remembered Harry's story of the Horcrux hunt, promising finer details at a later date, but he knew it was an exhaustive and lengthy process for the trio. "Regulus died doing the right thing."

Sirius pressed his forehead against her shoulder, feeling himself choke and stutter. He squeezed his eyes shut tight. He had been so, so _angry_ about the rumors of his brother joining the Death Eater ranks. Considered him a coward, nothing more than the Pureblood scum that the rest of their family was. Knowing that Reggie had been doing the right thing _alone_ and _scared_ and had _died_ cut him deeper than he could explain.

"H-he should be here," Sirius insisted, trying to wretch himself out of Andy's grasp, but she held him tight and forced him to look at her. "N-not me, I - I shouldn't be here."

"You shouldn't," Andromeda agreed, whispering fiercely, "But Sirius, we're _so_ glad you are. Harry has needed you for so long. His friends, they'll flourish with you too. You're going to do so much good in this new world, I can _feel_ it. But you _need_ to be here. Regulus's life was short, but yours? It was so _empty_ , Siri. You need to be here. You know who's prima natus after you? _Orion."_

Sirius choked, hearing his father's name and knowing that Andy understood everything. "How do I know? Who my match is?"

"She'll feel right," Andromeda said as she slowly released him, "Other women will make your skin crawl. There's more magical theory that goes into it, but I've never had a willing test subject before."

He finally cracked a grin, "Who says I'm willing?"

She smiled back, "Who said I'd let you refuse?"

They turned back to the party, which Sirius realized was more so Andromeda could try her hand at finding Sirius's match, and it was hours after shaking hands and plastic smiles and feeling uncomfortable in his own skin did he reunite with Harry, Hermione and little Teddy as they bid goodbye to all of the guests.

"I want to vomit," Sirius groaned as he pitched himself into the lurid yellow armchair that Ted had insisted upon. It was cozy and probably reminded him of the badger's den. Sirius rather liked it, and even though he hadn't gotten close to Ted he had rather liked him as well. He did miss the man, and seeing Andromeda's smiles whenever he was in the room, and especially the little girl who could change her hair at will, but Sirius found he was growing used to missing people.

"Puke!" Teddy crowed as Hermione snorted at the little boy turning his hair into a vomit color.

"Theodore, please, change your hair to a nicer color." Andromeda chided.

Teddy blinked before turning it bright yellow and laughing out, "Pee-pee!"

"Teddy Lupin!" Hermione and Andromeda chorused, even as Harry laughed and Sirius choked on his own spit.

" _Lupin_?" Sirius repeated before he gaped, "Remus married Tonks...and had a son. How could I forget?"

"To be fair, we all got really drunk and poured a lot of information on you," Harry said.

"Well, there goes the gentle conversation," Hermione sighed as Teddy climbed up into her lap to hide from his grandmother's ire, changing his hair to brown curls and hiding in Hermione's.

"He's…" Sirius felt the tears coming as he moved from the chair to the open seat on the couch next to Hermione. "He's Moony's?"

Teddy blinked at Sirius before looking to Hermione and his grandmother, Harry sitting back and enjoying the scene near the fireplace.

Moony had always liked kids, for as little as they each came into contact with them. He'd cuddled Harry for nearly a full week after he'd been born, and Sirius had often been loathe to have the "So, do you want kids?" conversation with Remus for fear of dumping salt in hidden wounds. Remus rarely talked about marrying, and especially not of starting a family. Seeing that he'd done just that, with part of Sirius's family, and bringing the bright and bubbly boy into the world was making Sirius far too emotional.

"Teddy, this is Sirius," Hermione introduced, tucking a few of his curls back from his face. "He was very best friends with your dad."

"He's also part of our family," Andromeda offered, "He's my cousin."

Teddy perked up, staring into Sirius's eyes as his own turned into an amber that looked all too familiar. "You know my daddy?"

Sirius laughed, even as he began to cry, "Know him? Buddy, we were like brothers."

Teddy began to cry too, "I miss him, and my mummy. Lots of people visit and talk about mummy, but not everybody talks about daddy. I miss them lots. Even though I was really little when I did know them. I miss them."

"I miss them too," Sirius agreed as he picked up the little boy and hugged him close, feeling his tiny arms tighten around his neck. "So, so much." He looked up at Hermione, just as she stood to move into the kitchen with Andromeda and Harry to give them some privacy, and caught her eye to mouth out his thanks. She nodded, smiled, and disappeared behind the kitchen door.


	10. Dancing in the Dawn

**My senior year of college starts next Monday, and if** _ **that**_ **doesn't instill fear into your heart and soul I don't know what will.**

" _Don't know if i will make it/ Maybe i should be anxious/ No matter where I go/ I'm dancing in the dawn of the unknown…" – Jake Scott, "Dancing in the Dawn"_

* * *

"Hannah! A round for the table please!" Ginny Weasley called over the din of the Leaky Cauldron, perched next to Sirius in the booth so Ron could sit on the other side of her, closer to the edge of the table, leaving Hermione and Harry on the opposite side of them across the table itself.

Tonight they were meeting Ron's new girlfriend, probably to interrogate and judge her as all friends do, before setting out on the mission to get Sirius a girlfriend that didn't leave his skin crawling whenever a woman brushed up against him. Going by the nausea that would pass every time Ginny moved near him, he doubted it was her.

"Isn't it weird for you two? It's barely been a week," Ron observed as he glanced between Harry and his sister.

"We're on - thanks - we're on good terms," Harry said as he passed Hermione a beer and grabbed his own. "We agreed we're better as friends."

"And I'm the only one with the insane Weasley jealous streak, but we've discovered that I don't mind it when dudes hit on Harry," Ginny nodded, "I'm not comparing their boobs to mine, for example."

Sirius snorted and cracked a grin at that, taking his own beer with a nod to the waitress before she curtly whisked herself off to another table.

"How did you discover this?" Ron questioned with furrowed brows.

"We were each other's wingums," Ginny insisted proudly, high-fiving Harry from across the table as Hermione chuckled. "Gender-neutral term for being a wing-man. Harry found me guys he approved of, I found him guys I approved of. Seeing as we know each other so well, and want the best for each other, it's a perfect situation."

"Well, so long as you're both okay with it," Ron shrugged, although he seemed apprehensive.

Sirius grinned, reaching across Ginny and patting Ron on the back, "Relax, mate, they're good with it."

"Hey, isn't that Malfoy?" Ginny pointed out, catching the table's eye at the blond entering the Leaky Cauldron. Ginny turned back to Hermione and squinted, "You're, like, good with him? Right?"

"Of course, he's working on Sirius's case as well," Hermione nodded before the redhead shot out of her seat to stand and wave the Healer in training over.

His eyes widened and he glared before sulking over to them, only asking _"What?_ " through gritted teeth and flared nostrils.

"Come sit with us, Malfoy," Ginny said, patting the table and batting her eyelashes at him as Ron's eyes practically bugged out.

" _What?_ " Ron, Harry and Draco chorused, even as Hermione began to move her purse and cardigan out of the way so he could sit down.

"We've got room," Ginny insisted before giving a toss of her hair, "Unless you're meeting somebody."

Sirius disguised his bark of laughter as a slight cough, immediately catching on to Ginny's antics. Hermione quirked a brow and gave a twitch of the lips as well before standing and poking at Harry's side.

"Budge over, Harry, let Draco in so he can sit by me," Hermione insisted. "Unless you're meeting somebody?" She challenged Draco, although she did so with a smirk.

He huffed through his nose, removing his suit jacket and nodding his thanks to Harry as he slid out of the booth, followed by Hermione before the three slid in together.

"So, Draco," Ginny said, settling her chin in her hands as Ron scoffed beside her, outright glaring at his sister. "How's work going?"

"Just fine," he remarked as he settled his jacket next to Hermione's cardigan. "How's your curse going?" he looked to Sirius, who scrunched up his nose and took to downing gulps of his beer.

"He's discovered the matching system," Hermione offered as Draco turned his head to look at her. "Extreme discomfort when touching women who aren't his match."

"Oh, my Merlin, then I'm so sorry," Ginny insisted, suddenly scooting a couple of inches down the booth and nearly sending Ron into the floor, making him squawk and hang onto the table. Draco coughed on his laugh, Harry watching the entertainment as Ginny stammered her apologies.

"How'd you know you weren't my match?" Sirius asked in amusement.

"You've seemed uncomfortable ever since I sat by you, I figured it was because I was Harry's ex, but it all just suddenly made sense," she winced. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it, not your fault," he said with a tip of his bottle.

"Alright, I'm off for the night!" Hannah Abbott announced as she returned to their table, beaming at the group as the majority blinked at her in bewilderment.

Ron stood immediately, coughing into his fist before grinning lamely, "Guys, you know Hannah Abbott?"

A moment or two later, and the group seemed to catch on. "Oh it's _you!_ " Ginny crowed, beaming back at the woman Sirius had been told was the landlady of the Leaky Cauldron. "Well, Ron gets an E."

"Really?" Hannah smirked, hands on her hips as Ron sputtered beside her, "I'm only an Exceeds Expectations?"

"Well, Hermione's right here, Hannah," Ginny teased before the entire table reprimanded her, even Sirius, who had really no right to do so. The only ones who didn't kick up a fuss were Draco, who'd outright stolen Hermione's beer and was enjoying the show, and Hannah, who was laughing her ass off.

"Relax, it's okay," Hannah giggled, "Ginny and I were fast friends during my final year, with the D.A. We pick on each other a lot, but we've got thick skins."

"Have a seat, Hannah," Ron sighed, begrudgingly sitting her beside his sister and pulling up an unused chair for himself.

"Not to sound rude, but Ginny's gotten that out of the way, I thought you were dating Neville?" Harry asked, wincing when Hermione took to kicking his leg. "You didn't kick Ginny!"

"Ginny caught me off-guard," Hermione seethed, "That is _rude,_ Harry!"

"I don't mind, but thanks," Hannah laughed again, stealing Ron's beer with a quick wink to him. "We broke things off. For the best, really, and he's a sweetheart, but we're both too focused in our careers. We'd go weeks without seeing each other, buried in our jobs. I need someone like this one to drag me out of work, or I'd be working myself into an early grave." At this, she patted Ron's arm and smiled, and Harry, Hermione and Ginny all seemed to give almost imperceptible nods, and Ron began to breathe easier.

"I think you've passed, Abbott," Draco drawled, flashing a quick grin when Hermione snatched her beer back with a glare, and Ginny deflated slightly before perking back up.

"Now, I've heard we're in the mood for match-making," Hannah insisted eagerly, eyes darting around the table at her prey.

Ron grimaced, "Hannah, really, they're all here to see you - "

"Find me one, Hannah," Ginny cut him off, even as her brother groaned.

" _Well_ , you didn't hear it from me, but I believe that Blaise Zabini is recently single," she smirked.

"Don't date him," Draco advised warningly, "He's a playboy. He's single because his latest _friend_ patched things up with her husband."

Ginny and Hannah grimaced together, and Hannah muttered, "I didn't hear that."

"If you want _relationship,_ I say pick up Abbott's leftovers," Draco declared. "Sounds like Weasleys are decent for workaholics."

Hannah blinked before turning to Ginny, "Actually, that wouldn't be half bad. And I wouldn't mind."

"I could definitely pull him out of work," Ginny hummed, tapping her nails against the table as Sirius watched the proceedings play out before him. "I'll owl him in the morning."

"When did you become a matchmaker, Malfoy?" Harry questioned.

Draco blinked before grimacing, tugging at his collar and attempting to hide behind Hermione's hair. "Liquor loosens lips, and all that. I've an extremely low tolerance, and Pansy was often a fan of playing Cupid."

"Kinky," Sirius teased, having no idea who Pansy was, even as the table snickered and Draco glared.

"You're exempt from my matchings," Hannah waved a flippant hand towards Sirius, even as he put on an affronted expression. "You've got weird who-do on you, which makes you exempt."

"Who-do?" Sirius repeated, the other Purebloods blinking back at her as Hermione and Harry shared a laugh.

"Do what?" Harry chuckled.

"Remind me of the babe," Hannah stated primly.

"What babe?" Hermione grinned.

"The babe with the power," Hannah recited, as the four others watched in awe.

"What power?" Harry and Hermione chorused.

"The power of voodoo!" Hannah continued, before the three burst into laughs once more.

"Muggleborns," Ginny murmured, almost as if she were trying to explain it to herself before taking a long sip of her beer.

"She's half-blood, Ginny," Ron reminded quietly as Hannah passed him back his own drink with a smile.

"Oh! Hermione!" Hannah insisted suddenly, patting the table with her hand, "I've heard Viktor's back in town. Got traded to Puddlemere United."

The table grew quiet, and all eyes landed on Hermione, who flushed a tiny bit red before she tossed her mane over her shoulder. "So?"

" _So_ \- please, Viktor has been the standard for all your other relationships," Harry scoffed, standing his ground even as Hermione took to glaring at him.

"Harry James, he has not!" Hermione insisted.

Draco, Ginny and Ron all made incredulous mutters, and Sirius relaxed back in his seat to hear what had to have been a doozy of a story.

"He has not!" Hermione declared.

"You _do_ seem to have a type," Ginny insisted placatingly.

"Quidditch players," Draco agreed with a somber nod.

"I - I do not!" Hermione punched the table. "Have a type!"

"Viktor Krum, Cormac McLaggen - " Ginny began to tick off on her fingers.

"He absolutely _does not count_ ," Hermione seethed.

"Ron Weasley," Hannah offered with a jab of her thumb in her new boyfriend's direction.

"It's the physique, isn't it?" Sirius asked, positively gleeful as he watched his roomie turn a bright red and glare everyone down. "Ooh, no, it's the stamina. Which is it? Both?"

"Shut the _definite_ fuck up," Hermione said, aiming a kick to Sirius's leg but hitting the booth instead, going by the _thunk_ of the wood and her slight wince.

"Pity we didn't hit it off in school, Granger, I could've been another notch on your Quidditch bedpost," Draco lilted, yelping once Hermione punched his arm, although it got a round of laughter from everyone at the table. "Woman, that fucking hurt!"

"Good!" she growled back before swiveling back to Sirius, "I'm punching you when we get home."

" _Kinky_ ," Sirius purred, cackling when Hermione groaned and slumped into her seat, covering her face in her hands. "There's nothing to be upset about, everybody's got a type."

"Besides," Hannah began soothingly, taking Hermione's hand and patting it gently, even as the brunette looked at her in exasperation. "I hear Viktor's _very_ excited to get reacquainted with certain _friends_ from Hogwarts."

Hermione snatched her hand back and stood, beginning to climb over the back of the booth seat, even as the table begged her to come back and Harry and Draco each had to tug her back into place.

"Do _not_ make an even bigger scene," Draco sniffed before sliding her own drink back into her hands, although a considerable portion may have been sampled by himself, "Drink your emotions like the rest of us."

After about an hour of playing catch-up, the new couple decided to call it a night, and Draco was eyeing his watch soon after.

"It's not even midnight," Sirius pointed out to his blonde cousin, Harry having relocated to sit next to Sirius and giving Ginny a spot next to Hermione as she tipsily mumbled about her impending letter to the new Herbology professor.

"Well, you know how dramatic my mother can be," Draco said as he stood and gathered his things. He eyed Ginny, slightly a mess at the end of the table, and decided it was best to step over the booth to make his escape as well.

"Hey! You yelled at me for that!" Hermione chided.

"Yet I never make a scene," he said before giving a playful low bow, "Thank you ever so much for allowing my presence to grace your company this evening."

"The pleasure is ours to see you go!" Harry called, although it did seem to be without his usual malice. Draco scoffed and turned on his heel, Ginny blowing a raspberry after him.

"So, ready to get out there?" Hermione asked Sirius, pointing out to the still packed bar.

Sirius grimaced. Normally, he wouldn't mind rubbing elbows with lovely witches, but ever since he discovered the feeling of his skin crawling at the touch of another woman's hand he grew more and more apprehensive. In his slightly inebriated state, he was fairly sure he may vomit by the end of the night.

"I'll go with," Harry offered with a smile, grinning when Sirius settled a grateful hand on his shoulder.

"I'll babysit this one," Hermione said as she patted Ginny, who was scrawling out her introduction to her letter on a napkin, much like a student preparing for an essay due in the morning.

Sirius took a fortifying breath before standing with Harry, making his way to the bar and gently inserting himself in the conversation of two witches. He thought it was going great, as each of them smiled and batted their lashes at him, but it all went south when one and then the other placed their hands on his arms.

"Ex- excuse me," he said, taking almost three steps back as he felt his stomach revolt against him.

"Let's get you home," Ginny said as she appeared next to him certainly more sober than she had been ten minutes ago, Hermione on his other side and each of them carefully using napkins to guide him to the door.

"Harry?" he questioned.

"He's good," Hermione said as they made their way out the door, her mouth quirked in a grin, "He's got company."

" _Nice_ ," Sirius groaned, taking a breather and sliding down the brick wall of the alley to the Apparation point. "I'm gonna die."

"You will not," Ginny insisted as she crouched down next to him, sifting through Hermione's purse and popping two tiny pills into his palm. "Don't be dramatic."

"What're these?" he questioned as he squinted in the dark to read them.

"Acetaminophen," Hermione said, "Anti-inflammatory, it'll help lessen your hangover."

"You," Sirius said as he popped the pills into his mouth and pointed up at her, "Are a gorgeous and sexy witch." He dry swallowed and thumped his head against the wall once more. "Viktor is a lucky, lucky man."

Hermione took a swift kick at his foot, which got him and Ginny laughing again.


	11. Porcelain Face

**Sorry for the unintentional disappearance! As I said, college senior. Please enjoy the chapter!**

" _But I met a girl with a porcelain name/ Easy to talk to but hard to explain/ What do I do when I'm fallin for you?/ The girl with the porcelain name/ Meets a boy with a cardboard face…" – 4 Door Theater, "Porcelain Name"_

* * *

Three days after meeting Ron's girlfriend, Sirius was pleased to meet the infamous George Weasley. He was, however, extremely confused by his presence in Hermione's kitchen, slumped over the kitchen table and looking as if he were selling off his first born child. Hermione, however, seemed livid, pacing around and ranting as if her own life depended on it.

"George, this is absolutely not the best solution," Hermione chided, hands on her hips and frowning.

"Hermione, I just can't run the shop by myself," George insisted, rolling his eyes and sighing forlornly at her. "I can't ask any more of my siblings to babysit me, or the shop, any longer. Selling it really is the best option."

"Hellooo," Sirius chimed in, finally poking his head into the space. "Hate to be a bother." Hermione scoffed at this. He loved to be a bother. "Sirius Black."

He gave a half smile, "One fourth of the Marauders, I know." He dropped the smile slowly, "George Weasley." He was a tall, slender man with a pale face and a large array of freckles, the signature ginger hair shaggy and untamed as his own clothes hung off of him.

"I couldn't help but overhear, but it sounds like you have a shop?" Sirius questioned as Hermione side-eyed him. After living together, she was beginning to pick up on his little tricks, and she could no doubt smell this one brewing. "What sort of shop?"

"It's a joke shop," George said with a strained smile. "Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes, we're on Diagon."

"That's an impressive building!" Sirius crowed before jabbing a thumb over his shoulder at Hermione behind him. "That one wouldn't let me go in, I'd _love_ to take a look before you sell it off!"

"Oh, well, I closed the shop today," George blinked. Sirius eyed the deep purple bags under the man's eyes, and mentally declared that surely the man was so sleep deprived as to trust the fellow prankster. "I guess I could give you a tour."

"Hurry back here and we will discuss your ridiculous idea more," Hermione griped as the ginger man stood.

"Will you _please_ just look over the papers I gave you?" George asked sadly.

She huffed before nodding, pouting as she watched the two disappear into the Floo.

Sirius inspected every square inch and item of the joke shop. He was terribly impressed, incredibly moreso when George announced that he had made every item that was on the shelves.

"Zonko's is just a retailer, they buy all of their products and resell them," Sirius announced as he read the back packaging on the Whizbangs.

"That's what Fred's been saying for years," George scoffed before freezing, almost as if he'd forgotten something. He coughed into his fist and hopped up on the cashier's countertop.

Sirius lowered the box, eyeing the man. "So, why're you selling the place? Business seems like it'd be doing great."

George sighed, staring down at his palms and staying silent for a moment or two before groaning. "I had a twin. Fred. Building this place was our dream, ever since we were in nappies. We opened two years before he was killed at the Battle, and it...hasn't been the same since. It's been three years since that and I'm just getting used to living by myself, but this place…." Sirius set the box back on the shelf and turned fully towards him, settling his hands in his pockets. "We split the project load, coming up with new products, the sales floor, the money stuff, we'd split everything. I can't...keep up. I can't think of new ideas so fast, or keep track of the stock, or do everything I need to do because I'm just one person now."

Sirius hummed, rapping his fist against the counter before leaning his elbow against it. "Seems a shame to see the place go, though."

George settled his head in his hands morosely, staring out at the shelves and displays, "What choice do I have?"

"Could hire a partner," Sirius sniffed.

George scoffed in response, "I haven't found a brain yet that ticks close to my clock, and there's very few people I would trust with this. Short of maybe you, Fred and I were chasing after the Marauder's legacy the entire time we were at Hogwarts."

Sirius grinned back at him, waggling his eyebrows as George slowly caught on.

"You wouldn't want to work with me," George tried to discourage, "I mean, have you _seen_ the workroom?"

"I have, didn't see a thing wrong with it," Sirius said, hopping up on the counter next to him. "What better way to preserve yours and your brother's dream? Keep the doors open and not have to change a thing."

"Look, mate, Sirius, I've been told that since my brother's death I'm a real Debbie-downer," George insisted, "I don't want to have to put you through dealing with me."

"George, listen to this," Sirius said with a bright grin, "All of my friends and loved ones are dead, and I have a horrible blood spell placed on me that dictates I need to find some nameless lady I can stand, slap a ring on it, and procreate or I am to wither away in pain until I die." He scoffed at George's gaping expression, "I win. Supreme downer, all hail the king."

"Is _that_ why you're staying with Hermione?" George asked with a blink, "She's gone mother hen on you, hasn't she?"

"I wouldn't say mother hen," he snorted, "More like _smother_ hen. She's constantly reminding me that I need to find a match quickly, but it's not like there's a _Point Me_ spell I can cast to help me out any."

George chuckled, "That's just Hermione, letting you know she cares and she's worried. For three weeks after I first moved back in, after Fred died, she'd be cleaning everything and knitting these dumb things. I've got a teeny sweater for a mug upstairs in my flat, and for what reason or purpose I couldn't tell you. But, the witch kept me company when I was too proud to ask for it, and I realized that she wouldn't be so smothering if she didn't care."

Sirius hummed, conceding the point, before nudging him in the ribs. "So? Partners?"

George sighed, looking back out at the shop and biting his lip. "Fine," he quirked a grin at Sirius's loud cheer, complete with fake audience fanfare. " _But_ ," he insisted, "I don't want you doing dangerous things until after you've solved your blood spell issue." Sirius groaned and began to boo him, even as he chuckled. "We'll bounce back ideas, and I'll show you how to handle the accounts, but no experiments or heavy lifting until I know you won't keel over on me."

"Yessir, Mister Bossman," Sirius saluted, hopping down from the counter and quickly going into a massive coughing fit, doubling over on himself as George was quick to right him. "'M fine," Sirius gasped as he took deep lungfuls of air, "Don't tell Hermione."

"Further reinstates my decision was a good one," George joked as he slowly released him. "Wanna tell Hermione to chuck the papers and share the good news?"


	12. More Like Love

**I, in an amazing feat of utter stupidity, accidentally cut off last chapter about three pages too short. So, here's the end of that chapter. Sorry about all of that. As stated previously, I'm stupid.**

" _I used to think I needed all the answers/ I used to need to know that I was right/ I used to be afraid of things I couldn't cover up in black and white…" – Ben Rector, "More Like Love"_

* * *

Hermione did think it was good news that Sirius had partnered with George, and eagerly helped find forms for each of them to sign to seal the deal. George had left after planning their schedule for the week, dedicating certain days to training Sirius, to go and inform his family.

Sirius had moved to the couch with Hermione, staring at her intently until she finally cracked and sighed.

"What?" she questioned, shutting her book and looking at him wearily.

"I heard," Sirius began, adopting a thoughtful tone, "That you're a patron saint of the lost and broken, Miss Granger."

She snorted, frowning back at him, "I've no idea what you're talking about."

He pointed a finger back at the kitchen, even though George had left hours ago, "George said you took care of him after Fred died."

She blinked before shrugging, "Ron was living with him at the time too, to help George get used to not seeing Fred there but still not being by himself. So I was over quite a lot, we were dating back then."

"And Harry?" he asked, narrowing his gaze as he gripped a pillow to his chest.

She clicked her jaw. He wondered if she knew it was a tell. "Harry...should tell you about that."

"Privet Drive, right?" he asked, tightening his grip on the pillow.

She was silent before sighing, running a hand through her hair, "I like taking care of my friends, Sirius."

"So you admit that's what you're doing with me?" he asked, gesturing to the bedroom she'd allowed to be added to her house, and his noisy presence, and the work she was doing on those journals.

She quirked a lopsided grin, "Of course, we're friends, aren't we?"

"Jury's still out," he sniffed, although she laughed back at him. "Who takes care of you?"

She blinked again, eyebrows furrowed as she stared at him. "I do," she said, as if the answer were plain and simple.

"Who takes care of you when you can't anymore?" he wondered. He'd _like_ to think that Harry and Ron would, but he wasn't sure if either of the boys could handle seeing her when she needed help. Harry had made an attempt, back when she and Ron had broken up, but Harry had merely kept her from falling apart completely. He needed to know who'd be there once she finally did fall apart. He wasn't sure if he was close enough to even be allowed, and he doubted Ginny or Draco would be able to either.

She shrugged, unperturbed, and stood. "I suppose we'll figure that out when the time comes."

He pouted as she began to pick up after herself to head to bed, "You need someone. Like a boyfriend."

She laughed, a bright and cheery sound, the corners of her mouth even curling up so he knew it was genuine, "I don't need a boyfriend to take care of me, Sirius." She shook her head at his antics as she turned down the hall, "I can handle myself just fine."

He doubted that, but decided to let her believe it for a little longer. Everyone needed someone who could take care of them when they needed it, and he just hoped she'd go to _someone_ once she did.

Nearly three weeks after that conversation, and after numerous days of working with George on adjusting to their partnership, Sirius found himself slung over the toilet, in the dark and trying to stop shaking. It was the middle of the night, and he'd found himself violently ill. He was fairly sure he'd seen one of his lungs the last time he'd flushed, and he was quite sure he hadn't eaten anything off during the day. This felt excruciating and cruel, so he could only give a guess as to what was causing it.

Well, at least Hermione was fast asleep, and unable to bear witness to his lowest moment as he tapped his forehead against the porcelain bowl.

Until the light flicked on, and he squinted up at Hermione in what he hoped was a display of pure discontentment. In all honesty, he probably looked like a rodent seeing the light for the first time.

"If you didn't want an audience, you would've thought of a silencing charm," she quipped, carding her fingers through her bushy hair to gather it on top of her head. Her scar was on full display, and judging by her demeanor she didn't seem too put off by it.

"Don't you dare pity me, Granger," he croaked hoarsely as she dug through the cabinet underneath the sink.

"I wouldn't dare dream of it," Hermione scoffed, wetting a washcloth before sliding down into the floor with him, gently placing it on the back of his neck as he released a sigh and pressed his face into the toilet again. "I think you've got a fever, that should help."

"Thanks," he muffled, feeling his eyes drift shut before his mouth quirked into a grin, "How was your _date_?"

During another of their attempts to find Sirius's match, once again at the Leaky Cauldron, they had been surprised to find Viktor Krum sat at the bar in front of Hannah. Sirius was surprised to find that the man was jacked, one of the best Quidditch players of the decade, and in the top ten list of eligible, hunky bachelors of the wizarding world. Sirius had practically set up Hermione's date for her, while she stuttered and gawked and bemoaned Sirius's meddling, which Viktor found bewildering yet amusing, and readily agreed.

She smiled, tucking a curl behind her ear, and wrapped her arms around her legs. "It was nice. Awkward, seeing as we didn't really talk all that much when we were younger. Language barrier, and all that, so it was great getting to know him better this time."

Sirius hummed, feeling himself spent before Hermione gently pushed him away from the toilet to rest against the wall. He grimaced, placing a hand against his ribs at the sharp pain, and sighed when Hermione readjusted to sit beside him. "It hurts," he whispered, tucking his head into her shoulder and squeezing his eyes shut. Maybe when he opened them again, the pain would go away. He might have even been met with Lily, chiding him about his drinking habits, and James laughing at his miserable state, but he knew by now that was a longshot.

Hermione ran her fingers through his hair, careful as could be. The two had gotten close, since he'd been living with her, and Sirius found that she was a caring person and loyal almost to a fault. She worked tirelessly with him to decipher those journals, and often called upon favors and other resources to untangle a snag in their progress. Sirius was happy to call her a friend, and even happier to realize that he'd been added in with Harry and Ron whenever she talked about "her boys." "I know, Sirius. I'm sorry," she murmured, a frown maring her face whenever he looked up at her. "I wish I could do more, you know?"

"You're doing plenty," Sirius scoffed, grinning when he saw her roll her eyes. "Jury's voted."

"Oh?" she asked, "And the verdict?"

He sniffed, settling down deeper into her shoulder and shutting his eyes, "We're friends."

"Happy days," she snorted, removing him from her person and taking his hands to help him stand, "Try to go back to bed, let me know if you need anything, okay?"

He nodded, slowly, feeling as if his bones were heavy and were being pulled to the floor, before shuffling down the hallway and slinking back into bed.


	13. Sunday

_"Slow down for a second dear/ We rush around and we disappear/ Just let the afternoon keep us here/ For a moment, we still have time/ In this moment you will be mine..." - Jack Thweatt, "Sunday"_

* * *

They'd celebrated Hermione's birthday a few weeks ago, Ginny bustling into the house and hanging up streamers and balloons before Hermione had woken up.

Hermione's idea of celebrating her birthday consisted of spending the day with friends, and she was greeted early in the morning by Sirius and Ginny attempting to make pancakes without burning the house down. Her day followed with Harry and Ron stopping by during their lunch break, and drinks at the Leaky with everyone in the evening. This even included Viktor, who'd been seen kissing her on the cheek and caused the table to burst into a chorus of " _oooh!_ "

Draco even made an appearance to pass off a wrapped parcel to her, drink her birthday shot, and cheekily meander off.

However, that was all in the past, and today found Sirius and Hermione in a used Muggle car lot.

"We've been here for _hours_ ," Hermione complained, clutching her oversized jean jacket with the fur collar close to her as another gust of wind fluttered through.

Sirius, however, was still inspecting his third used motorcycle, and only hummed in response. He'd been insistent on getting a new one to fix up, and Hermione had hedged and avoided for nearly a month before sighing and saying that if he kept it at Harry's, she had no problems with it. Harry had readily agreed, and even cleared out a space in the shed in the backyard for him to work in, and so Hermione had been dealt the hand of taking Sirius to pick the bike out.

"That's a grand model," the salesman insisted as Sirius finally stood and dusted off his jeans. He still hasn't gotten his leather jacket yet. He was waiting to see if Hermione really kept her promise.

Sirius scoffed, nodding back at the bike, "It's a piece of shit. They made thousands of those things, there's no value left in them and no demand. It's only here cause the previous owner didn't even want it. No, I'm looking for something... _more._ " He hopped onto the back of a different bike and hummed atop that one.

Hermione groaned up to the sky, "Harry should've taken you."

"If Harry's anything like James," Sirius barked a laugh, "He'd be buying the first bike he liked."

"James was like that?" Hermione inquired. He liked whenever she asked about James, Lily or Remus. Reminded him it was okay to think about them, to keep them close. They had a silent agreement to never mention Peter, and that suited him just fine.

"How do you think I got my bike?" He grinned, gripping the handlebars of the one he was on. "James made an impulse buy and begged me to fix it up for him. Lily banned the thing from their place as soon as she missed a period, so we traded money and ownership and I got the bike. Turns out I'm picky about bikes, so James essentially picking one for me did me a world of good."

Hermione immediately perked up, "Is that all I've got to do?" She twisted and turned before pointing at one to her left. "That one!"

Sirius hopped off to inspect the bike she'd chosen, grimacing as he looked at it. "It's missing all of its wiring, there's no brakes and there's a giant hole in the gas tank by the looks of things." He turned to his left, and noticed the one beside it before immediately standing. "I'll take this one next to it!"

" _Finally_ ," Hermione sighed as the salesman toddled off for the paperwork, making her way over to him as he began to scrape the black coating off of the side of his new bike.

"It's my bike," Sirius remarked eagerly, patting the seat as he grinned up at Hermione. "Same model and make, obviously not as special as mine was, but this...this is a _find_."

Hermione smiled back down at him, "I'm glad you've found it, then."

Sirius was smiling the entire day, which consisted of paperwork, taking the bike to Grimmauld Place, and taking a load of motorcycle magazines back home so he could do some proper research on what he wanted for his new bike.

At night, once he finally got to sleep, he dreamt of...odd things. Cell bars and bleak skies. Alright, that would be his imagination. Dumbledore and a group of people who seemed familiar, crowded in the kitchen at Grimmauld Place. A big, rounded room, almost like a ballroom, with wizards in dark robes and those stupid silver masks fighting kids, an archway with a curtain on a sort of raised platform.

He awoke screaming, with Hermione shaking him awake, and immediately lurched off of the mattress to throw up in his trash can.

"What was that?" He croaked, Hermione hovering in the darkness of his room.

"What was what?" She asked, concern causing her to vibrate.

"That room?" He asked, looking to her, "With the curtain?" She turned pale and his gaze narrowed. "What was it?"

She sat down at the edge of his bed, staring at him as he sat in the floor and clutched his trash can to his chest. "That...you shouldn't know that."

"Well, I do," he sniffed, almost as if it were her fault, which of course it wasn't.

She stared at him for far longer, Sirius unwavering as he waited for his answer. "That's...where you died." He gave a single blink. "Harry...thought Voldemort had you at the Department of Mysteries. We left Hogwarts, realized it was a trap. You came to...protect Harry. You fell through the Veil and…" She broke out of her trance and stood, immediately pacing, "You shouldn't know that! That was - _you were older then_ , how…?"

"June of 1980," Sirius blinked, working his jaw as he fought back against the bile burning at his throat. "But I was there when Harry was born. I remember it very, _very_ clearly. Lily nearly broke my hand and James fainted when he saw placenta."

"Sirius, do you...are you saying you're _regaining_ memories?" Hermione gaped.

"The damn bike!" He continued, clutching his head as it began to whirl. "James didn't give that to me until October of 1980, I don't think he even bought the thing until late August!"

Hermione stood, worrying her hair as she passed him, "I'm getting Draco."

Sirius remained in the corner of his room, holding his trashcan full of vomit, until Draco and Hermione came tumbling back in, Draco's healer robes billowing about.

The blond man crouched down, and began the normal procedure of taking his pulse, checking his reflexes, shining a light into his eyes.

"He _seems_ fine," Draco hummed before sitting in the floor with him. "I don't see the worry -"

"He dreamt of the Department of Mysteries," Hermione said, and Draco's jaw clicked shut as he inhaled slowly and exhaled in a sigh.

"That doesn't mean -"

"I've read those books," Hermione stated sharply, "' _Recollections of the moment of initial death_ ' is the _first sign of_ -"

"Granger," Draco said, in a level and soothing tone, "Go wait in the kitchen. Make tea, keep your hands busy."

"I don't need to keep my hands busy," she griped.

"You're having a panic attack," he said, and Hermione clenched her jaw and glared him down. "Please? I could really use a cup anyways."

Hermione exhaled sharply and gritted out a " _Fine_ ," before storming off into the kitchen.

"Is that smart? Should she be alone?" Sirius asked as Draco carefully removed the trashcan from his grasp, frowning at the contents before vanishing them, setting the trashcan back off to the side.

"She likes to be left alone when she gets like that, I've found," Draco shrugged, reclining back on his arms. "Tell me what you saw."

Sirius recounted all of the events he'd seen, and those he'd remembered, that took place after June of 1980. Draco listened to every detail, staying silent the entire way through until Sirius trailed off, humming thoughtfully before checking his watch.

"It's been nearly three months since you popped up, that's normally just the first warning sign," Draco explained as he stood, dusting off his robes and readjusting the cuffs. "The few studies done have shown that there's usually a year to a year and a half until you reach the final act, but the spell likes to make sure you aren't forgetting about it."

"Doubt I could," Sirius grumbled, smirking when Draco grinned and offered a hand to help him up.

Sirius paused upon seeing a flash of black ink against his left forearm, and stared at the man as he continued talking as he walked, wandering down the hallway and into the kitchen, Sirius following. "It's also not uncommon to have memories you think you shouldn't have, the date you had in mind is really only loosely used to determine where you came from. Most of those tests I ran on you the first time were testing the age and material of your clothes or any other products on you to narrow down what decade and century you came from."

Sirius hummed in response, his mind still reeling from the blot of dark ink against Draco's arm.

"You feeling better?" Draco asked as he helped himself to the tea kettle on the stove, Hermione sat with her own cup at the dining table, looking pale and a little red around the eyes.

"Yes," she nodded, giving Draco a begrudging smile as he moved to sit next to her. "Sorry."

"No harm," he shrugged before playfully sneering at her, "You're hardly intimidating."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes, nudging him with an arm.

"Oh, while I'm here," Draco began as Sirius sat across the table from them. He kept staring at his left arm, and glancing back to Hermione's own scar. He had questions. _So_ many questions. "My mother requests your presence this Friday night, for her autumnal soirée."

"Who's presence?" Sirius asked, dimly remembering Andromeda's recountings of Regulus and deciding to save his questions for later, after some more thought.

"Both," he said slowly, taking a sip from his mug and determinedly looking away from Hermione's deep stare. "And maybe Potter."

"Why?" Hermione asked with a sigh.

"Well, it's for _charity_ ," he said the word as if it were a magical word he could use to get them to go, "For orphans. War orphans. Like Potter."

"Mmhmm," Hermione hummed.

"And my mother has been adamant on seeing Sirius ever since his prima natus announcement made the paper," Draco insisted, and Sirius groaned at the mention of the announcement. He'd gotten loads of letters after that, and he'd learned a nifty spell from Hermione to vanish all of them in one go. They still had letters coming in daily.

"And for me?" Hermione asked.

He grimaced, tapping his fingers against the wood table. "I'd feel better if you went, is all. We're friends."

Hermione donned a devilish grin as she slowly leaned into Draco, "Oh? This would have absolutely nothing to do with your vindictive ex coming back into town, would it?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he sniffed as Sirius settled his head in his hands and got comfy for the show.

"No?" She cooed, wrapping her arms around his bicep and grinning up at him. "So _not_ the one that's terrified of me? She won't be there?"

"She...may...attend," Draco muttered.

"Admit you want her help, and she'll go," Sirius advised as Hermione smirked back at him.

Draco sighed, "Please help, Granger, she wants to get back together and I _cannot_ stress how much I _loathe_ that idea."

Hermione laughed, pecking Draco's cheek before he tried to swipe her off of his person, "I'd be happy to go."

"Better let Viktor know," Sirius advised with a yawn.

"Oh, she's still seeing the Bulgarian Wonder?" Draco asked with a grin.

Hermione glared at the both of them, "I don't see how he needs to know about this."

"Just _trust_ me on this," Sirius insisted. "How would you feel if a bloke you were seeing went as another girl's date to an incredibly public and fancy party, but didn't mention it to you at all?"

She shrugged, "I'd assume he'd wanted to go, and she had an invitation."

Draco scoffed, shaking his head at Sirius, begging him to give it up. He turned back to Hermione, "Are you really dating him?"

She grimaced and flushed, "We're testing the waters."

"She didn't come home on their last date," Sirius supplied before Hermione took to swatting at him from across the table.

"Tell him, or I will," Draco grimaced, "I don't need a giant Bulgarian wall coming after me because you were ' _testing the waters.'_ " Hermione scowled as he donned a falsetto, batting his eyelashes at her before she smooshed her hand into his face and got him to back up.

"I don't _sound_ like that, Draco," she huffed.

" _I don't_ sound _like that, Dray-co,_ " he mimicked. She punched his arm again, and he laughed. He stood, nodding to Sirius, "I'll be sure to greet you all first once you get through the Floo. I'm assuming you remember how my mother expects everyone to look presentable?"

"You'll take care to remember I do so enjoy bothering your mother," Sirius grinned back, even as Draco scoffed and moved back to the Floo.

"Thank you, Draco," Hermione called back.

"It's what I'm here for!" He said as they heard the Floo roar to life. "Both of you get some sleep!"

They called out their goodnights, and were silent for a few moments before Sirius reached across the table and squeezed her hand.

"Thank you," he said, softly, even though he could still taste a bit of bile in the back of his throat.

She squeezed back with a small smile, "Of course."

Neither remarked on it again as they each went back to bed, finding themselves sleeping in once the morning came.


	14. I Wanna Dance With Somebody

_"Clock strikes upon the hour/ And the sun begins to fade/ Still enough time to figure out/ How to chase my blues away/ I've done alright up to now/ It's the light of day that shows me how/ And when the night falls/ Loneliness calls..." -_ Whitney Houston _, "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)"_

* * *

"It's so _stupid_ ," Harry grumbled, tugging at his top button of his collared shirt.

Sirius rolled his eyes, focusing on the book he'd picked up from the coffee table. It had mentioned something about curse-breaking, and he'd been interested. Now, however, he realized it was about curses pertaining to vaults and tombs, but he was far too entranced to put it down. This had been thirty minutes ago, once Hermione had poked her head out of the bathroom to greet Harry and insist she'd be ready soon. Harry had then began a long, rambling rant about the blonde Slytherin that Sirius wasn't entirely sure he was supposed to understand.

"I don't see why we have to go," Harry huffed, hands on his hips as he pursed his lips and stared at the clock on the mantel. "Like, I get it's for orphans, but it's... _Malfoy_. It seems sketchy."

"Narcissa's always adored doing charity work," Sirius muttered as he studied a very intricate diagram showing symbols and runes. It'd been ages since he'd even had to think about Ancient Runes, but all of it looked terribly complex. "Probably more keen to get back into it since her very public divorce from _Luuuu-_ cius." He'd been surprised to learn that tidbit about his cousin, seeing as he seemed to recall there being very little that could separate Narcissa from tall, blonde and scary in the good old days.

"Yes, well," Harry faltered before he puffed up again, seemingly getting more wind in his sails to continue on his tirade. "I'm talking about Malfoy-Malfoy. Him inviting me to this sort of - sort of _thing_ just has 'diabolical plan' written all over it."

"Does it?" Sirius questioned dully, setting the book aside with a shrug, "Hermione and I are going, seems fair to have you come too, since you're pretty close to the both of us _and_ this charity would otherwise have you written all over it." Harry looked sheepishly back at Sirius's pointed stare, to which the Marauder stood and stretched. "Look, I dunno the whole thing between you and Draco, but it seems like he's decided to leave it in the past. Hell, Hermione and even Ron have. I'm not saying you need to drop it, but it'd really help me out if you could clue me in on what the big deal is about Draco."

Harry faltered, staring down at his shiny black shoes, and opened his mouth to speak before movement caught their eyes down the hall. They both turned to look, seeing Hermione balance against a wall as she buckled a strap on her heel, swathed in a dark maroon fabric that clung to every curve of her body before draping against the floor. The bodice of the dress came up in thin peaks to create her shoulder straps, and when she twirled to show it off it was discovered that the back was completely cut out.

"Haven't seen this girl since the Yule Ball," Harry joked, kissing her on the cheek as she wrinkled her nose back at him, taking a few wayward strands behind her ear and back into her updo. "You look gorgeous, Hermione."

"Thanks, Harry, you look great too," she beamed, a matching lip shade following the curve of her smile before she turned to Sirius.

" _Damn_ , I didn't know you could get hotter, Granger!" he blurted, mouth agape as Harry snorted in surprised laughter. "Where the hell have you been hiding those _legs?_ "

Hermione rolled her eyes, moving over to adjust his tie, being careful to avoid grazing his skin. "I haven't been hiding them, Sirius, they're rather attached to me."

"Maybe I'll be rather attached to you too," he purred, giving her a slow grin and a hooded gaze before he choked against the sudden pressure on his neck as she tightened his tie a little too tight, ripping away from her and fixing it himself as she grinned wickedly back at him.

"I was going to say you looked nice too, but I'd rather your ego not get any bigger this early in the evening," she said, Harry finally smothering his laughs to hold his arm out for Hermione to take.

"Let's go before you accidentally kill Sirius," Harry insisted with a smile, calling out to the Floo and helping Hermione through first. He paused, looking to Sirius, and gave a warm smile before following, leaving Sirius to wonder what that was all about before entering into the emerald flames.

Instead of Malfoy Manor, as he'd been expecting for some reason, Sirius was surprised to find the entry hall of one of the old, old Black estates, decked out in fall garlands and golden lights intertwined with the white marble columns.

"There you three are," Draco announced, almost with a sigh, before pausing and appraising Hermione with a deadpan stare. "Really, Granger? Afraid no one would recognize you for a Gryffindor?" Hermione merely stuck her tongue out, and Draco sighed heavily before offering his arm. "No matter, you're doing me a favor so I really can't complain."

"What is this place, Malfoy?" Harry asked as they moved further from the Floo and into a ballroom with a live band playing, and hundreds of people already inside.

"I believe it was my mother's great aunt's estate," Draco hummed in thought.

"Second great," Sirius corrected with a grin, "Belvina Black's place before she married Herbert Burke of the Borgin and Burkes' persuasion. She was the only girl of that generation, so her family set her up nicely before she got hitched. She had a kickass supply of brandy, and Cissy was always her favorite."

"Only because you set the bar so low, cousin dearest," Narcissa said, and Sirius and his friends turned to look at her. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a tight chiffon, and her dress was the color of the deepest ocean floor to match the pearls dangling from her ears and around her neck. She looked as if she hadn't aged a day since Sirius last saw her, save for a few distinguished lines around her temples and forehead. She gave Sirius a soft smile when he did the Proper Thing and bowed low over her hand to kiss it, and turned to regard the two other Gryffindors in her presence.

Sirius noticed how stiff Hermione was, and how Draco had moved his arm from her grasp to around her waist.

"Miss Granger," Narcissa smiled, bypassing Harry and her son and giving her a kiss to the cheek, "Lovely to see you, and my do you look amazing! That dress simply flatters your figure and coloring, and seems to match my fall decorations perfectly!" Hermione barely had time to open her mouth when Narcissa spoke again, just a touch louder, knowing that she had an audience. "And I will admit I do _so_ adore seeing you on my son's arm, you two make a handsome couple if ever there was one."

Sirius looked to Draco, who seemed to be trying to keep his eyes in his head, and then to Harry, who seemed as dumbfounded as Sirius did.

"Th-thank you, Miss...us?" Hermione inquired, to which Narcissa gave a quick grin.

"Miss Black, darling," she said.

"Thank you, Miss Black," Hermione said.

"Please, call me Narcissa."

Hermione pursed her lips, and Sirius barked a laugh.

"Please, go enjoy the party," she insisted, giving a polite smile and handshake to Harry before turning to Sirius, "I would _so_ like to catch up with my favorite cousin while you do."

"Aren't I your only cousin nowadays?" Sirius mused, smiling through the pain when she laughed along and took his arm to lead him off and into the hallways, away from the music as it dwindled into background noise, and into a side room that had probably been for entertaining a smaller amount of guests than the ones she was currently hosting.

"I must say, I wasn't surprised to hear about your arrival from the Prophet," she stated, perching on the edge of a lounge chair and watching distastefully as Sirius flopped into an arm chair across from her. "I _was_ surprised about your arrival, of course."

"Yeah, it's been...hectic," Sirius supplied as he pursed his lips. "There's not much to go off of the prima natus, so figuring out the rules for my particular spell has been... _fun_."

"Draco's mentioned as much, Healer-patient confidentiality allowing so little," she sighed, although she had a proud look on her face as she examined a pearl ring on her finger. Sirius had so many questions, and he leaned forward to try to ease himself in.

"What happened, Cissy?" he asked, quietly.

She was silent, and Sirius halfway wondered if she'd heard him, before she gave a harsh sigh through her nose and looked back up at him, her eyes swimming with unshed tears. "Lucius…" she nearly spat, so harsh and angry with the mere mention of him. It was so very different from the dreamy, delicate way she had used to say his name that Sirius almost wanted to check that she was mentioning the same man. "He thought...he tried to…" She started over, sighing and forcing herself to relax, delicately tapping the pearl necklace against her collarbone. "He made Draco become one. At sixteen."

Sirius growled, low in his throat, his suspicions on the black mark against the young Healer's arm being confirmed.

Narcissa clasped her hands together now, her lips pressed into thin lines, "He insisted it would be good for him, to atone for his own mistakes as a Death Eater. 'Fix what I've failed,' he said. During the Easter holidays of Draco's seventh year, just after You-Know...just after Voldemort had gotten power over the Ministry, there was an incident…. He was furious. Voldemort." Her breathing grew shaky, and her eyes started to get red around the edges.

"When Harry, Ron and Hermione got captured?" Sirius guessed, and Narcissa nodded.

"Bellatrix...had called him, just before they escaped," she murmured, her gaze unfocusing. "He was furious...they blamed Draco." She choked, meeting Sirius's gaze, a hand coming up to wrap around her throat as he stared back at her. Narcissa didn't want to be comforted, he knew, so he remained as he was. "I buried my son that night. I had to let him back onto the train four days later."

Sirius pressed his hands to his face, mind whirling as he shielded his face while Narcissa gathered herself. "So he's...he's a prima natus too?"

"Yes," Narcissa nodded, hands folded in her lap. "A precaution I'm now glad I took, at my mother's insistence."

"Whatever Druella wanted, Druella got," Sirius sighed, and Narcissa hummed her agreement.

"I hadn't put in all of those stipulations on marriage like your mother had," she said, nodding her head to the tapestry on the wall behind him, which he hadn't noticed when they'd come in. Sirius stood, making his way to it, and immediately saw the burn mark where his name had been, now lain underneath a white scrawl of his signature. He looked, and saw that Draco's was the only other white signature on the wall as well, as this was only a partial tapestry. Underneath Draco was a thin line, connecting him to one 'Scorpius Malfoy,' birthdate a year and a few months ago.

"Draco's got a son?" Sirius murmured in surprise.

"Discreetly," Narcissa answered, standing to make her way beside him, "The mother is a female friend of his from school. She's married to someone else, who understands their arrangement. Once Draco manages to find a long-term relationship, he'll get full custody of Scorpius with the other couple becoming god-parents with regular visiting rights."

"Why doesn't Draco just have him now?" Sirius wondered.

Narcissa snorted, and it was such an odd sound that Sirius did a double take as she rolled her eyes. "He's insistent that he needs to build his career to be considered for a suitable partner, so he isn't able to take care of Scorpius right now. The Prophet isn't helping, calling him 'Death-Eater spawn' every other Wednesday."

"Yeah, that old rag," Sirius huffed, thinking back to how Ron took pleasure in burning the one that had announced Ginny and Harry's break-up. That had been particularly disturbing to watch. "So, that's why Draco knows so much more about the prima natus curse than any other Healer? He had to live through it?"

"Sadly," Narcissa nodded. "I wish I hadn't, but...as selfish as it may be, it gives me my son back."

"There's nothing selfish about that," he insisted, taking her by the shoulders before scoffing, "God, he was a kid. No mother should have to bury their kid, Narcissa, no one can fault you for wanting...Don't feel guilty about this, okay? You gave Draco another chance at life he wouldn't have gotten otherwise."

Narcissa shifted uncomfortably before nodding, "He's all I've got left, you know. Him and Scorpius."

"Oh, come off it," Sirius huffed, looking heavenwards as she glared at him. "You sound exactly like your sister, you know that?"

"Andromeda?" she blinked as he released her to inspect the wall again, picking at the smudge underneath his name. "You spoke to Andromeda?"

"Well I certainly haven't been chatty with Bellatrix, now have I?" he hummed, unsurprised when the smudge remained unharmed. Ah well, he rather liked how it looked. Not to say he was too pleased being back on the ruddy wall, but it was making him smug.

"What did...how is Andromeda doing?" she asked, quietly.

"Worse off than you in some cases," he said, looking at her pointedly, "Lost her whole family except her grandson. Except me. Except you."

Narcissa looked to her hands, and Sirius finally recognized the pearl ring. It'd been the one Andromeda had given her for her thirteenth birthday, and Sirius was surprised she'd kept it at all, let alone that she'd taken care of it so it looked practically brand new.

"You should call her," Sirius said.

"Let's go see how the party's fairing without us," Narcissa suggested.

"Only if you promise to call Andromeda," he answered.

She huffed, and the two had a stare down. "It's not - things aren't that simple, Sirius."

"You say to a dead man walking," he remarked in bemusement. "With your dead son wandering around."

"Don't - nobody knows, alright?" Narcissa hushed, glaring at him. "Please don't - he deserves better from the world this time around."

"I agree," Sirius softly said, "But so do you, and so does Andromeda. You don't need divine intervention to have second chances, you know." Narcissa pursed her lips again, and Sirius sighed before squeezing her shoulder and dropping a kiss to the top of her head. "Just think about it, alright?"

They headed back towards the party in silence, Narcissa still staring at her ring before finally speaking up, "Her grandson's name is...Teddy...isn't it?"

Sirius smiled, hands in his pockets, the music growing louder around them. "It is. She still likes bergamot, so prepare for Earl Grey when you go over."

"I haven't had the stuff in years. I look forward to it," Narcissa remarked fondly, smiling out at the scene ahead of her as they stood at the threshold of the ballroom, people milling about and dancing. Sirius caught a glimpse of Hermione, being dipped on the dance floor by a white blonde head of hair, the pair laughing at whatever they'd deemed funny.

"Now," she continued, knocking him out of his silent appreciation for talented dressmakers as he watched Draco twirl Hermione. "Go out there and mingle with all of the pretty ladies, and remember that Purebloods often kiss hands _for a reason_." He groaned, but stopped short at her reproachful stare.

He dutifully spent the night mingling, which he decided was his least favorite thing to do. He would make small talk and try to avoid every brush of skin and flick of long hair, and every so often let his gaze travel onto the dance floor where Hermione was dancing with Draco, although once or twice he saw her with Harry.

It wasn't until hours later he allowed himself a break, finding a secluded section of the ballroom and sighing as he leaned against the wall, feeling cold and clammy and just wanting to go home.

"You're handling everything well, it seems," Hermione said, passing a glass of wine into his hand with the practiced art of making sure she didn't touch him.

"As well as I can, I suppose," he said with a sigh, giving her a smile as she leaned on the wall next to him. "You've been a dancing machine all night. Every time I saw you, you'd be on the dance floor."

She groaned, snorting as she drank her own wine. "Some asshole or Ministry employee would try to talk to me every time I wasn't dancing, and Draco's ex kept circling in like a piranha, so the both of us decided that dancing was better than interacting socially. Even if my feet are killing me now, I'd still do another waltz than hear ' _why'd you leave the Ministry, Hermione?_ ' one more time."

"God, I would consider that an offer and run out there with you right now if it wouldn't hurt like hell," Sirius laughed, grinning when Hermione smiled back at him. "I'm just so _tired_ of these things."

"I know," she agreed softly, a forlorn smile crossing her face. "I do wish there was some sort of summoning charm for your match."

Sirius gave a small laugh, remembering his previous words to George, and took another sip of wine before declaring, "Me too."

"I wonder if we could turn to an old matchmaker, see if they have anything to weigh in on, although I doubt it," Hermione hummed, swirling her wine thoughtfully as she let her own gaze wander across the crowd. Sirius followed her gaze, looking out at the synchronized swishes of dresses and robes and thinking back to being much shorter, sneaking to the food tables with his brother in tow and trying to stay as far away from their parents as possible.

The more and more he was brought back into his family, the more he found himself thinking of Regulus. It made him want more than ever to step into his brother's room at Grimmauld Place, just to have one moment in a space that Regulus had lived, had been untarnished by their parents or a dark lord and had merely been an eager boy.

Sirius had been so lost in thought that he hadn't noticed someone approaching them until he caught a sudden movement from the corner of his eye, and in a flash Hermione had been covered in red wine and thoroughly stained.

"Oops," a woman with a pug-like nose and a blunt, short haircut scoffed with a smirk.

Hermione merely sighed, her hair ruined and sticking to her head, her eyeliner and mascara running down her cheeks as Sirius gaped back at her. "Pansy. Hullo," she stated dully before handing Sirius her glass and rubbing her fists into her eyes.

Sirius caught sight of the dance floor parting to make way for a furious Draco, making his way towards them with his fists clenched. Harry was following close behind.

"Just _what_ the bloody _fuck_ do you think you're doing, Parkinson?" Draco growled, low and quiet and sure to not draw any attention towards them.

"I spilled my drink, Drakey, could you get me another?" she asked instead, simpering as she held out her empty wine glass.

Draco took it and proceeded to let it fall to the floor in one swift motion. Hermione regarded it casually as Pansy gasped, Sirius trying to hide his obvious amusement as Harry joined them and tried to find something to dry Hermione off with.

"How _dare_ you do that to Hermione - "

"Oh, so she's ' _Hermione_ ' now, I thought it was 'Stuck-up, Know-it-all, Mudblood Granger,'" Pansy hissed back, venom lacing her tone.

"We've dropped a few of those, if I'm not mistaken," Hermione hummed, her eyes severely smudged now as the three men bristled at the other witch's comment. She took her wine glass back from Sirius to sip, as if nothing had happened at all. "Think we're down to just 'Know-it-all Granger,' now."

"Don't you _ever_ call her, or anyone, that foul word ever again," Draco seethed, his face more flushed than Sirius had ever seen it before.

"You've called her that, to her _face_!" Pansy said, her voice rising.

"I've _changed_!" Draco nearly shouted, Harry surprising them all and putting a hand on his shoulder to shush him.

"What seems to be the problem?" Narcissa asked before she gasped, catching sight of Hermione's perfect impression of a drowned raccoon. "Poor thing!" She stepped forward, ignoring the lot of them with a practised ease, and took Hermione's hands in hers. "We'll get you cleaned up, don't worry, Hermione." Draco and Pansy's jaws dropped as the blonde began to lead the Gryffindor girl out of the small circle they'd created around her and the shards of the fallen wine glass. Narcissa called over her shoulder, almost as an afterthought, "Miss Parkinson, I do believe it's time for you to depart. I wouldn't expect another invitation, if I were you."

Pansy began to sniffle, her mouth turning up and nearly disappearing inside her pug nose, and stomped towards the Floo as Narcissa carted Hermione away, presumably to go change.

"Well," Harry spoke first, his hand still on Draco's shoulder as the blond man shook, "That was...something."

Sirius exhaled roughly, not realizing that he'd been holding his breath throughout the exchange. Creating a scene during a large and highly publicized event was a major faux pas, and one that had often been associated with shouting and a few slaps in his childhood.

"You alright?" Sirius asked instead, trying to forget all of that.

Draco took a few deep breaths, pinching his nose and trying to calm down. "I can't believe she...I didn't think she'd dare try anything on Hermione, she's terrified of her."

"She must've been drunk," Harry remarked with a shrug, removing his hand from Draco once he seemed to have calmed down. Neither of them would look at each other now, which Sirius thought was interesting. "Proud of Hermione, though, that was nearly Slytherin of her."

"No it wasn't, that was daft," Draco insisted with a scoff, "The one time she could get away with verbally chewing her up and spitting her out, which I _know_ she can do because she's done it to _me_ , and she decides to - to sit back and let me do it."

"Maybe because you needed to?" Sirius pondered, grinning at their blinks. "Think about it - if Hermione had done it, yeah it would've been badass. But you? That gets the point across. You've changed, for the better, and you not only are intolerant of that shit but you're putting it down."

Draco stared at him, and Harry seemed far more lost until the Slytherin spoke up. "She gave me free PR."

Sirius grinned again, smug as he lifted his wine glass in a silent cheer at his gobsmacked expression.

"You know this place _is_ swarming with reporters," Harry mused, looking around carefully now. "I imagine that'll be in the Prophet for sure."

"Merlin," Draco groaned, moving to lean against the wall and slink down it, hidden by Sirius's legs as he seemed to be spiralling down a dark hole. "I can see the headline - 'Gryffindor Golden Girl Harassed at Orphan Charity Gala, Draco Malfoy to Blame!'"

A scoff was heard near Sirius's elbow, and he turned to look down in surprise at his cousin, Draco quickly shooting up into a standing position at the sight of his mother.

"Don't be silly, Draco, I'm sure Miss Granger would vouch for you in a heartbeat if that were the case," Narcissa insisted, repairing the wineglass finally and settling it in Harry's hands.

"Of course," Hermione said lightly as she joined them, and the three men gaped as she made her arrival. Instead of what she'd been wearing previously, she was now in a short black dress with lace sleeves, her makeup fixed and perfected and her hair flowing about her gracefully. Her heels had been transfigured to an appropriate color, but all Sirius could stare at were her legs. And hips. When did Granger get hips?

"What are you wearing?" Harry hissed, dropping the wine glass again, aghast at her change in clothing.

"Vivan de La Mure, Fall collection of last year," Narcissa recited, giving Hermione a graceful spin so the skirt could flare out, and Sirius saw that this one didn't have a back as well. "Isn't she darling in it?"

"Less Gryffindor, certainly," Draco approved, smirking at Hermione's rolling eyes and shake of the head.

"Your legs!" Harry insisted, scandalized at the sight of them.

"I know, I'm so glad I shaved past my knee this evening," Hermione mused, extending one and admiring her handiwork as Harry spluttered and scoffed. Sirius couldn't help but admire it as well. She really did have nice legs.

"Indecent!" he muttered indignantly, cheeks and ears flushed.

"Mister Potter," Narcissa began, and Sirius and Draco both grinned at the tone in which she said it in. "Surely, you are not insinuating that my fashion decisions are anything less than tasteful?"

Harry had the good sense to bow his head and mutter a "no ma'am."

"As I thought," Narcissa sniffed, twisting a lock of Hermione's hair to get it just so. "Now, I'm off to go check on the other guests and make sure they're gossiping about just the right thing. Surely I can entrust the three of you to make sure Hermione remains unscathed for the rest of the night, hm?" She looked pointedly at them as they each grimaced and shielded their gaze from her glower. She brightened as she turned back to Hermione, clasping her hands and cupping her face, "If you should need anything, do not hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, Narcissa, I appreciate your help," she smiled, watching as the other woman walked off and left her with her three friends all staring curiously at her.

"What was that, Granger?" Draco asked, narrowing his eyes and peering at her carefully.

"She knew what I was doing, and thanked me," Hermione answered primly, giving another twirl and giving a giddy grin at the way the skirt flared around her. "Merlin, this dress is gorgeous, I could spend a lifetime in it!"

"As a member of the heterosexual male club, _please do_ ," Sirius insisted, shooting her a wink at her smirk. "You have _excellent_ legs."

"Couldn't your mother have given her something...more modest?" Harry huffed, turning to the blond Slytherin as if it were his fault.

Draco, in turn, slowly arched a blond brow as he turned to him. "What makes you think I have any control over my mother?"

Hermione bristled, and wound around to Harry with fists clenched. "What makes you think I get forced into things I don't want?" Harry stammered, and she glared. " _I_ chose this dress out of the selection she gave me, and _I_ think it's gorgeous. If you don't like it, Harry Potter, you can sod off!"

"Right, sorry," Harry answered immediately, although it seemed as though his brain was still trying to connect all the dots and he was merely buying himself some more time.

"Now," Hermione said with a sigh, straightening herself out and relaxing her shoulders. "Sirius owes me a dance."

Sirius blinked at her in surprise, having been enjoying the show, as she took the wine glasses out of his hands and gave them to Draco. "Err, Hermione, not that I'm complaining, but - "

She held out her wand, summoning a few napkins, and pressed them into Sirius's palm with a cheeky smile. He laughed, urging her to lead the way onto the dance floor, and they were dancing along with the best of them soon enough.

"Sorry I dragged you out here without asking," Hermione said with a sigh, pursing her lips and furrowing her brow.

"Sorry your feet are going to be sore in the morning, I'm commandeering the next three dances at least," Sirius said, grinning at her laugh. "I get it. Well, I get that Harry's...protective when it comes to you."

"You've no idea," she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Over the silliest of things."

"I know he means well, if that provides any comfort," he said, forgoing the spin that everyone else had just performed. Hermione's lips twitched into a smile as she noticed, yet she didn't say anything. "But there's something I can't figure out. What's his deal with Draco?"

"Honestly?" she blinked, "I've got no idea. They've had a huge rivalry throughout school, and there was no love lost between them then, but...lately, Draco's changed so much, and he's really trying, but Harry's…."

"Stubborn, pig-headed, irritating?" Sirius offered, smiling when she nodded and murmured 'yes.' "James was the same." He pressed the hand that was against her lower back further, dragging her a breath closer and wishing the napkin wasn't in the way, for whatever reason other than he wished that this dance could be halfway normal. "You know," he whispered, "I believe you're the best dancer I've been with in quite a while."

"I've always liked dancing," Hermione said with a smile, and there was a glimmer in her eye that he couldn't quite place. It seemed sad. "I took classes as a kid. Ballet, mainly, but that was in elementary and I've never done much dancing with a partner, but still… I like it."

"Well, let's try dancing more often," he suggested, grinning at her arched brow and suspicious smile. "At home. Like this, or however you prefer. I miss dancing too."

"Alright," she said with a nod, grinning at him cheekily as they stopped once the song had, other dancers clapping but they remained still for fear of losing their napkin placement. He grinned back, knowing that this was the least of his worries by a longshot, but they picked their pace back up once the band resumed, and remained dancing until they were ready to call it a night.

Sirius lay awake in the darkness of his room, waiting out some chest pains and replaying their dances over and over again. He wondered how they might have danced if the napkins hadn't hindered them as much as they had, and fell into a fitful sleep shortly after the thought. He awoke with a melody playing in his head, and stretched out his aching muscles before getting ready to begin his day, not sparing a second thought to their dances or why he received a sharp, stabbing pain in his ribs whenever he did think of them.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for your patience since the last update, as life continues to get in the way. To make up for it, here's an extra long chapter and some sweet Whitney Houston jams.**


	15. Don't Feel Like Dancing on My Own Again

**Okay, I know I've been gone for a long, long while, but in my defense I've graduated college and have been job hunting. But I do think you guys will really like this chapter!**

" _Cause everybody's dancing and I don't feel the same/ This room is full of people who barely know my name/ And I don't feel like dancing on my own again/ Another year without a friend/ Another year where I just close my eyes and dance inside my head…"_ – Deaf Havana, " _Everybody's Dancing and I Want to Die"_

* * *

Sirius, for once, was having a good day. He'd slept soundly through the night and awoke with no aches or pains. He'd managed to make perfect pancakes on the first try, and had surprised Hermione with them when she woke up. They'd had breakfast together, discussing their plans for the day - his involved brainstorming with George at the shop while hers focused on further research regarding his blood spell. She'd admitted to having a date with Viktor in the evening, and Sirius mused about going over to Grimmauld Place to work on his motorbike.

The brainstorming session with George had been productive, with solid groundwork for new products laid out. The two chatted for an hour or two, and George had seemed like he was also having a good day before Sirius departed.

"Are you back?" Hermione called from the hall bathroom once she heard his arrival at the Floo.

"Briefly!" Sirius answered, moving down the hall to his bedroom and pausing just outside of the door. "Why?"

She opened the door, anxiously biting her lip as she poked her head through the open space. "I hate to ask but could you, erm, help me?"

Sirius paused, blinking at the small yet effective amount of makeup she'd applied, and grinned. "Yeah, sure," he answered, settling his hands in his pockets. "What do you need?"

Hermione opened the door further, Sirius feeling his heart sputter and lurch when he saw the plum colored dress on her figure. She turned, showing him the back that was gaping open, with undone corset lacing being the system for closing the dress, and held her hair out of the way. "Could you tie this up for me?"

Sirius sucked in a lungful of air, plastering on a smile and tugging his hands out of his pockets, "Yeah, sure, hold still."

It was a slow and careful process lacing it through, and Sirius hated awkward silences that only gave him an opportunity to think about things he didn't need to think about. So, he filled it. "What's the occasion?"

"I'm, err, going to this fancy press party for the Puddlemere Quidditch team," Hermione answered, bracing a hand against the doorway as Sirius continued his task.

"As Viktor's date?" Sirius prodded.

She nodded, "His very public date."

"Oh," Sirius blinked, pausing as he made sure the ribbons weren't twisted about any more than they needed to be.

"We've talked about it but this feels…" Hermione floundered for the word. Sirius grinned at the sign of her nervousness, "I mean I _agreed_ to go, I'm just...I hate having my relationships thrown into the public eye for scrutiny."

"Any sane person would," Sirius said, getting a good grip on the ends of the ribbons, "Hold on, and tell me if I'm hurting you."

"Alright," Hermione nodded, letting him tug and tighten the ribbons as he needed to.

"So I'm guessing things are - forgive the pun - serious with you two?" Sirius asked with a quiet hum, finishing off the ribbons with a bow and admiring his work.

Hermione dropped her hair and turned, reaching for a necklace that she'd set on the bathroom counter. "Well, yes, I suppose they are if I'm doing this," she said, fiddling with the dainty chain as her eyebrows furrowed in worry.

"Allow me," Sirius offered, holding out his hand and smiling when she set the necklace in his grasp and turned back around, picking up her hair once more. Sirius wound his arms through hers, setting the pendant against the hollow of her throat and carefully securing the clasp, his knuckles brushing against the back of her neck.

"Well," he said, watching as she fluffed out her hair, setting his hands in his pockets once more and shooting her a soft smile, "The best of luck to you. And, may I say, you look particularly gorgeous."

Hermione smiled, putting small studs into her earlobes. "Thank you, Sirius. What are you going to get up to?"

He shrugged, ruffling his hair, "Probably head over to Harry's and work on the bike, might see if he's in the mood to hang out after."

"Sounds like a plan," Hermione nodded, brightening when she heard the Floo. "I think that's Viktor - you call me if you need me, alright?"

"I will try not to need you," Sirius said, waving her off down the hall, "Go, have fun - make good choices!"

Hermione laughed, grabbing a cloak from the hall closet, "Don't worry, I always do. Goodbye, Sirius."

Sirius nodded, watching her go down the hall and waiting until he heard the crack of Apparation. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, heading to change into something he wouldn't mind ruining as he worked on his bike.

Once he arrived at Grimmauld Place, he was met with an empty house. Not wanting to spend too much time there alone, he strode immediately to the shed where his bike was stored, settling into the process of doing what work needed to be done to keep his mind busy. He quickly got to work, tearing the bike apart so he could put it all back together again.

Hours later, Harry arrived home from work.

"It's looking good," he commented, grinning as he stood in the doorway to the shed. He'd already discarded his Auror robes, dressed in a flannel and jeans and his hair sticking up and out haphazardly. He looked so much like James in that moment, yet the more he spent time with Harry the more differences he noticed. Harry's face was rounder, his smile not as wide as James's had been. Sirius wondered how many more differences he would see in the coming months.

Sirius stood from where he'd been kneeling, grinning in return, "Thanks - it's still got a long way to go, though."

"Any progress is good progress," Harry insisted, laughing when Sirius scoffed at him. "Have you eaten?"

"I haven't, no," he answered, moving to follow Harry into the house before he stopped, feeling the world begin to tip on its axis as a blinding pain shot through his skull. He must've made a strangled noise as he fell, because Harry was by his side in an instant.

"Sirius! Sirius, hey, talk to me," Harry pleaded as Sirius's vision grew dark and fuzzy around the edges. "Hold on, let me just - _Expecto Patronum!_ "

Sirius saw the white light fading as his eyes began to close, hearing Harry call out a plea for help before there were two cracks echoing in the crisp night air. He heard frantic murmuring, some shouting, and then it was as quiet as it was dark.

When Sirius awoke, his head still hurt but not to the degree it had when he'd blacked out. Eyes still shut, he assessed his pain and took stock of the rest of his body before deciding that he could attempt to open his eyes.

Everything was white around him, and he'd thought that he'd surely died before things started coming into focus. There were some cabinets, in the corner, and a rolling stool off nearby. The ceiling was tiled, and there was an aroma of antiseptic in the air. Sirius had landed himself in the hospital.

He carefully turned his head, finding a chair at his bedside currently occupied by a dozing witch. Hermione, dressed in jeans and a soft, cream colored jumper, had her head propped up on a fist, a wrapped parcel settled in her lap.

Almost as if she'd realized he'd been staring at her, Hermione carefully picked up her head, rolling her shoulders to work out some kinks, and freezing when she noticed that Sirius was awake.

"I take it by your awed expression that I had a close call?" he tried to joke, but it was through a hoarse voice that only brought tears to her eyes which she tried to blink away.

"Too close for our liking," she answered, smiling softly at him before holding up the package. "I got you that leather jacket. I found some photos of you in your old one, and tried to find something similar."

"Thanks," Sirius said with a crooked grin, taking a deep breath before he began the difficult process of trying to hoist himself into a sitting position. Hermione stood, a hand hovering over him as if to guide, although she seemed apprehensive in touching him. "What happened?"

"I - " Hermione began, her eyes filling with tears again, but she cut herself off as quickly as she'd began.

Thankfully, Harry and Draco appeared in the door, Harry immediately smiling upon finding Sirius awake, yet Draco looked like death warmed over.

"Well, glad to see it worked," Harry said softly, still smiling.

"What worked?" Sirius asked.

Draco turned to Hermione with a deep frown, "You haven't told him?"

Hermione gave a resigned sigh followed by a huff, "He _just_ woke up."

"You were at death's doorstep," Harry said, quietly. "I called Hermione and Draco to help."

"The curse, apparently, decided to try to off you for reasons I'm still trying to figure out," Draco added, which explained why he was so exhausted. "We...implemented some drastic measures, and it wound up saving your life."

Sirius blinked, looking around the room before landing on Hermione, who had returned to her chair and was picking at the parchment wrapping of his new leather jacket. "What...drastic measures, exactly? Not that I'm complaining, but I'd like to know if there's any new spells or curses placed on me."

Hermione took a deep breath, steeling her nerves and clenching her fists, before spitting it out. "We're married."

Sirius was waiting for the laugh, for the 'gotcha' moment, yet it never came. His brow furrowed, and he pinched the bridge of his nose. His headache was growing, yet he clenched his jaw and breathed through the pain.

"How'd we get married if I was unconscious?" he asked slowly, as his brain scrambled to make all of these new facts fit into place.

Draco and Harry exchanged quiet glances.

"We - " Hermione cleared her throat, because the tears were threatening to spill once again, "- We had to cast an Imperius Curse. Before you were completely unconscious. Just so you could sign the marriage license."

"I had a few of them lying around, was supposed to drop them off with a couple later this week as a favor," Harry added softly. "Came in handy."

Sirius gaped, looking between the three of them before he seemed to come to life. "Are you three _insane?_ Do you have any idea how much trouble you're - ? Not to mention - this is - I can't wrap my head around this."

"What were we supposed to do?" Draco asked, rather harshly, "Let you die?"

"No," Hermione swore vehemently, cutting off Sirius before he could speak again. "We each made a decision. We'd make it again."

The other two men nodded without hesitation.

"Well, that's all very touching, but if the Ministry finds out what happened, then Draco could lose his job," Sirius said, threading his hands through his hair, "And that's just a start, they - "

"They can't fire me for being a witness," Draco murmured quietly.

Before Sirius could react, there was a knock on the doorway. Ron stood there in his Auror robes, looking pale and stricken, with a shorter man by his side looking equally as torn.

"Ahh," Harry said, calmly, "Here's my ride."

Ron took a deep breath, looking to the ceiling and blinking back tears, "H-Harry Potter, y-you are...you are hereby…."

"Wait, wait a minute, _wait a fucking minute_ ," Sirius hissed, tearing himself out of bed and stumbling as the sheets caught his feet, barely registering Hermione there and steadying him as his heart pounded and his blood stirred. "You can't arrest him - I didn't file anything, I'm not going to, he saved my life."

"They know, Sirius, it's okay," Harry insisted.

"Why?" Sirius stressed.

"There's now a record of each use of the Imperius Curse," Draco muttered, staring at his shoes, "Since the First War, when people were using it as an excuse to escape punishment. They added the record for the second time around, to make sure that wouldn't happen again."

"Keeps a record of who cast it, and who had it cast upon 'em," the shorter man said, his voice heavily accented. "Sorry, Potter, but we need to take yae in."

"It's alright, Seamus, I understand," Harry said, passing off his wand to Ron, whose face was bright red.

"I can't do this, Harry," Ron insisted, shaking his head fiercely. "I won't, I won't do this."

"Seamus can, I'm going peacefully," Harry said, hugging Ron around the shoulders and gripping him tight. "You stay here, help them. I'll be fine, Ron."

Sirius glanced between Draco and Hermione, the latter of whom was tucked under his arm and crying silently as she supported him, yet neither of them were making any move to stop the madness going on before them.

"Trial will be set for a week from now," Seamus informed as he cuffed Harry, "In order to gather any evidence or testimonies. I'll keep an ear to the ground, just in case the Wizengamot tries to push the court date or time around."

"It'll be alright," Harry insisted, giving Sirius a nod as he gaped at him, at a loss for words. "I'll be fine."

"Harry Potter, yae are hereby under arrest for the use of an Unforgivable," Seamus recited somberly, escorting Harry out of the door and down the hall.

"I'll testify," Draco prompted, startling Ron out of his own stupor. "Not that my word will mean much, but I'll do it. Veritaserum, memory recollection, whatever's necessary."

Ron blinked at the blond before studying Harry's wand, still held safely in his grasp, "I hope it won't come to that. They should just take Sirius's word for it."

"They won't believe that," Draco said, rolling up his sleeves, "They'll think he's still under the effects of the Imperius. Hermione and I'll testify, and I'm sure we can scrounge up enough people for a character witness should the need arise."

Ron nodded, conceding the point to Draco as he pocketed Harry's wand, "Seamus and Dean, for starters."

"Neville, Ginny, and Luna," Hermione pointed out, nudging Sirius to get back into bed and glaring when he stood firm. "McGonagall - hell, practically everyone in the DA and the Order."

Ron stood taller, a look of determination crossing his face and making its home there, "I'll start on that, then, getting everyone rounded up. Call me if you need me." And with that, Ron left.

Sirius, however, was still reeling when Draco turned to him.

"C'mon, back into bed, you're still not stable," he insisted, taking his other arm and tugging him into place. "I'll need a blood sample, from the both of you, while we're all here."

"Why me?" Hermione asked, releasing Sirius and already tugging up her sleeve.

"I need to make sure that you two being married isn't going to make him sicker," Draco said with his mouth set into a grim line.

"Can we - can that wait for a minute?" Sirius asked, clutching his head and wincing as he drew his knees up to his chest. "I need to talk to Hermione."

Draco shared a long glance with the witch before nodding, exiting the room and shutting the door on his way out.

"First off - how long was I out?" he asked, holding his head as he rubbed his temples.

Hermione sighed, sitting at the edge of his bed, being careful to leave plenty of room between them. "Five days."

"We've been married for five days," Sirius stated. Hermione nodded in agreement. He released a sigh, picking his head up and staring at her. "Why?"

Hermione quirked a small grin, running a hand through her hair and shrugging, "We're friends. I couldn't just let you die if there was something I could do about it."

"This is _different_ , Granger," he insisted, leaning closer to her and glaring. "You've just bound yourself to me, for _life_. That's how wizarding marriages work - there's no divorce, no separation, just _us_ 'til death do us part. Especially with my stupid blood spell."

Hermione levelled him with a withering stare and a dry, "I'm aware."

"What does Viktor think?" Sirius challenged, scoffing when he saw her mouth screw up and her eyebrows draw together, "You haven't told him."

"I've been a bit busy," Hermione said in a clipped tone.

"What, babysitting a corpse?" he asked.

Hermione stood abruptly, grabbing her purse and a book from the floor by the chair she'd long vacated, starting for the door before halting and turning around to him.

"I know you're angry, and I know you're lashing out on me," she said, staring Sirius down from where she stood, "But just know I would not do anything different, Sirius Black, not if it meant making sure you lived to see even one moment more."

Hermione took his stunned silence and exited the room with it, making Sirius feel very, very small the moment he was left alone.

He flopped back into the firm hospital bed, dragging his hands down his face. So much had happened during his impromptu nap, and not a bit of it had even begun to make sense. He sighed, looking to the chair Hermione had taken up residency in, and winced when he saw the wrapped package sitting in her stead.

He leaned over, wincing when his ribs and spine protested, and snatched the package, setting it in his lap and carefully tearing it apart.

It was a leather jacket, as promised, charcoal black and smooth. When Sirius pressed his face into it, he smelled only the smooth leather - probably his favorite thing about leather jackets, if he were being honest. It wasn't stiff and polished, but flexible and comfortable in his hands. If he didn't know any better, he'd think it was a cherished item from someone else's closet.

"Well, now I'm just a complete arse," Sirius muttered.

"Join the club," Draco announced from the suddenly open doorway, startling Sirius with a grin. "Saw Granger leave. Guess I'll be getting that blood sample some other time?"

Sirius sighed, running his hands through his hair and wincing at how dirty it felt. He wanted a shower - and hopefully a pair of trousers if it weren't too much to ask. Hospital gowns weren't exactly the fashion statement he wanted to partake in. "Is she alright?"

Draco walked over to a cabinet where medical supplies were kept, humming as he put on a pair of gloves. "She wasn't crying, if that's what you're asking." He let the snap of the rubber glove act as punctuation, and Sirius winced.

"It was stupid, what she did," he tried to defend, glaring at his cousin's son - who kept his face expertly emotionless. "She's got a boyfriend, for Merlin's sake."

Draco merely hummed.

"She'd have her whole life set with that one," Sirius mused, "Rich, famous Quidditch player - he'd retire in five years with enough Galleons in the bank to buy three Quidditch teams if he felt like it."

"And the Blacks are dismally poor?" Draco snorted, getting out a package of sterile needles and syringes and other things that made Sirius very, very nervous.

"I'm just _saying_ , she's dating a fit, tall, _scary_ Bulgarian bloke and just threw it away to buy me more time," Sirius said.

Draco, to his surprise, huffed and threw the package of equipment onto a metal tray. He crossed the room in a few strides. "Alright, listen to me, carefully," Draco said, standing at the foot of Sirius's bed and gripping it as he leveled him with a dark stare. "I will say this once. Only once."

Sirius nodded slowly.

"Granger knew just exactly what she was giving up, exactly _who_ she was giving up, and knew what she was going to have to do moving forward if there was _any_ hope in you living any substantial amount of time." Draco clenched the hospital bed, and his jaw clenched too. "Do you want to know how long she deliberated? How long she hesitated before she agreed to marry you?"

Sirius stayed silent and still, waiting.

"She _didn't_ ," Draco hissed, sounding every bit of a snake given permission to speak freely, "It was her _bloody_ idea." He drew himself to his full height, and pinched the bridge of his nose as he fought back a headache. "Now, stop being a fucking idiot and let me take your blood."

"Don't know about being an idiot, but the rest I can manage," Sirius mumbled, trying to add some levity back into the room, and gave a half grin when Draco snorted in amusement.

Sirius offered his arm, and Draco went about the task of drawing blood from him. While they were so close and Draco had sharp things nearby, Sirius decided to press his luck.

"I, err, heard about your kid," he muttered quietly, in case it wasn't common knowledge.

Draco only hummed, head bent and eyes focused on his task. Sirius appreciated that focus, considering it was his arm and his blood.

"And why you've got an heir," Sirius continued.

Draco shrugged, finishing up his task and pressing a cotton ball to the dip of Sirius's elbow - Sirius held it there as Draco packaged the vial of blood and labeled it. "It's - well, it's not how I imagined having a kid, but I suppose it was inevitable."

"What's he like?" Sirius asked.

Draco halted, turning and blinking at Sirius. It seemed that his brain was having trouble processing the request, "He err...he's two, nearly three. Likes snakes, or he thinks he does, but really he likes butterflies. Can't blame him there."

Sirius grinned, even as Draco seemed to find his bearings in this uncharted territory.

"Daphne Greengrass is his mother," Draco pointed out, stuffing his hands in his pockets and looking at his shoes, "She married Adrian Pucey, and they've got one on the way. I'm actually about to take custody of Scorpius, make their lives a bit easier, but we're working on getting him used to staying with me so he won't notice the big change. They'll still see him on the weekends, and big things."

"Can I meet him?" Sirius asked, ignoring Draco's gaping as he shrugged, "We _are_ family, after all."

Draco snorted, rolling his eyes, "I _suppose._ But you can't go blabbing about him to everyone you meet, Granger threatens to whenever she's pissed at me but I know she's bluffing."

"Hermione's met him?" Sirius questioned, softening as they came back to the person he was trying not to think about.

Draco sighed, pinching his nose again, "Yes, and he loves her, the little snot. 'Aunt Minnie' this and 'Aunt Minnie' that - Adrian and I want to pull our hair out because our families just don't _do_ the ridiculous nicknames like the Weasleys seem to, but Daphne thinks it's adorable and Hermione - _Granger_ just thinks its hilarious to watch me turn purple over it."

Sirius mulled it over, eyeing Draco as the blonde pretended he hadn't slipped and continued cleaning his mess and putting everything where it needed to go, no longer looking Sirius in the eye. "You two have such a strange relationship," Sirius decided in amusement.

"Oh, like you're one to talk," Draco drawled, smirking as Sirius glared. "Settle in, try to get some rest. I'll be back in a couple of hours and we'll see about getting food in you."

And with that, Draco took Sirius's blood and a handful of files and whisked away, leaving Sirius alone with only his thoughts.

Not for long, however, because his door opened suddenly and there was Hermione once more, eyeing him carefully with a look of determination on her face.

"I'm only here for a moment, because I'm actually worried about your wellbeing," she announced, before Sirius could open his mouth. "I just want you to be fully aware that I am not one to back down, or squirrel away until problems disappear, and I will _not_ let you - "

"Thank you for the jacket," Sirius cut in, effectively halting Hermione's carefully crafted monologue.

"Oh," she blinked, "Err - you're welcome."

"S'nice," Sirius said. "I like it."

"Oh," Hermione said, lamely. "Good."

"I'm sorry I was an asshole," Sirius said, twisting his mouth like he was eating something sour. "I just think you've made a huge mistake in marrying me, is all."

Hermione seemed to lose her steam and deflated, wiping her hand down her face with a sigh. He could see bags under her eyes, and realized that she probably hadn't slept the entire time he was in the hospital. He felt even worse. "I may have," she said, worrying her bottom lip. "I still need to give Draco a blood sample, but...I don't know - it was better than you dying on us, but I worry I may have made things so much more difficult."

"We'll figure it out," Sirius reassured, even though he had no idea how they would go about figuring it out. "But still. Thanks for saving my life, I guess."

Hermione quirked a brow and gave bemused smile. "You _guess_?"

"Well, you know, the jacket _is_ very nice," he teased, grinning when she scoffed and rolled her eyes in amusement. "You need sleep. Go get sleep."

"I will as soon as I find - "

"Granger," Sirius pressed, staring her down. "He'll still be here tomorrow, and the day after, and every day going forward until he retires. Go home, go to sleep."

Hermione faltered, shifting her weight from one foot to another, before sighing and looking to the ceiling for guidance. " _Fine._ But I'll have you know that I'll be here first thing in the morning and - "

"Yeah, yeah," Sirius waved it away, smiling when her cheeks puffed out when she huffed in annoyance. "Can you tell George I may not be in for a while?"

"Already done, and I've nearly had to beat him over the head to get him to go home himself," Hermione said, smiling at Sirius's surprise. "As much as he teases me, he's just as much a worrier as I am. You should write him when you feel up to it, he may keep you company while I'm gone."

"I might do that," Sirius hummed, watching as Hermione readied herself to leave. "Err, we'll talk about _this_ \- " he gestured between them " - when I get home, yeah?"

Hermione nodded, already at the doorway, "Sounds good to me. See you, Sirius."

"Bye, Hermione," he said, watching her leave and shut the door and releasing a sigh.

He still had plenty to think about, and plenty of things to figure out, but he felt better about certain things already, and was able to settle into bed and let the quiet, empty room lull him to sleep.


End file.
